João Gilberto (born João Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira – Portuguese: [ʒuˈɐ̃w ʒiwˈbɛʁtu]; June 10, 1931 – July 6, 2019), was a Brazilian singer, songwriter, and guitarist, who was a pioneer of the musical genre of bossa nova in the late 1950s. Around the world he was often called “father of bossa nova”; in his native Brazil, he was referred to as “O Mito” (“The Legend”).