‘Last Tango in Paris’ composer Gato Barbieri dies at age 83
In this Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015 file photo, Gato Barbieri arrives at the Lifetime Achievement and Trustees Awards presentation at the Ka Theater in the MGM Grand Hotel, in Las Vegas. Barbieri has died at a New York hospital, Saturday, April 2, 2016. AP
NEW YORK — Grammy winning Latin Jazz saxophonist Leonardo “Gato” Barbieri has died at a New York hospital.
Barbieri’s wife Laura says her husband died Saturday of pneumonia at age 83.
The Argentine-born musician recorded 35 albums between 1967 and 1982 and won a Grammy Award in 1973 for music he composed for the film “Last Tango in Paris.”
Barbieri earned the nickname “El Gato,” which means the cat, in the 1950s because of the way he scampered between clubs in Buenos Aires with his saxophone to make his next gig.
He was credited with creating a rebellious but accessible musical style when he was awarded a Latin Grammy lifetime achievement award in 2015.
Barbieri continued to perform in recent years at the Blue Note jazz club in New York. TVJ
