Brazilian music legend Gilberto Gil leaves hospital

Brazilian Bossa Nova legend Gilberto Gil (centre) performing at the Esplanade Concert Hall in 2011 with cellist Jaques Morelenbaum (left) and son Bem. PHOTO: ESPLANADE

SAO PAOLO (AFP) - Brazilian music legend Gilberto Gil left hospital in Sao Paulo on Wednesday following two weeks of treatment for blood pressure and kidney problems, a spokesman said.

"He has already left," Gilda Mattoso, a spokesperson for the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital in Brazil's most populous city, told AFP.

Gil, 73, had been hospitalised in Sao Paulo since Feb 25 after doctors discovered high blood pressure during a routine visit. They also treated a kidney crisis.

Gil and Caetano Veloso shook the foundations of Brazilian music in the 1960s with Bossa Nova, a fusion of samba and jazz.

A former Brazilian culture minister who is one of the country's most respected musicians, Gil has also made an international name for himself.

The duo is scheduled to return to the stage in April with performances in Chile, Peru, the United States and Europe.

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