Ingrid Pastorius, who was married to virtuoso electric bassist Jaco Pastorius between 1979 and 1985, died on Monday from complications following an aortic aneurysm, according to a source close to the family. She was 61.
A native of Indonesia, Ingrid also spend time in Holland and Puerto Rico
before moving to South Florida at age 20. She then worked as a flight
attendant for Eastern Airlines and reportedly was spotted by Jaco
before they met on a flight between Fort Lauderdale and New
York. Ingrid and Jaco began a relationship in 1977 prior to his work on
the "Shadows and Light"
tour with Joni Mitchell. They then married -- Jaco's second marriage --
in July of 1979 in Guatemala and
bought a house in Deerfield Beach with money he made on tour with
Mitchell. Their fraternal twin sons, Felix and Julius Pastorius, were
born June 9, 1982.
A lengthy interview with Ingrid at JoniMitchell.com indicates how close she was with her husband's work -- notably he was also a member of Joe Zawinul's Weather Report beginning in the '70s.
Read our birthday tribute to Jaco Pastorius here.
She had this recollection of being by his side while he worked on Mitchell's Mingus album: "We were staying at the Sunset Marquis, and we were going to the studio,
and the horns parts were decided in the studio, and then we went back to
the hotel," she says. "I think he stayed up until like 5 in the morning. He
wasn't using any drugs or alcohol. I have to mention that too. [laughs]
Great things did happen when he was sober. The next morning, we went
back into the studio, and the horn parts were incredible."
Her favorite composition of her husband's was "Three Views of a Secret," according to an interview she gave to ZawinulFans.org:
"Initially it bore my name, but I felt uncomfortable about the idea at
the time. I do not regret making him change it, for I just simply love
the name it is now."
In
the mid-'80s Jaco's bout with manic depression worsened, and Ingrid
decided to leave him so she could take care of their sons. They divorced in
1985, but as she wrote on her personal site, "emotionally, and
spiritually I remained attached to him, his music, and now his soul."
Jaco Pastorius preceded his wife in death in 1987 following a violent altercation outside a Wilton Manors bar.
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While raising Julius and Felix, Ingrid Pastorius took part in several projects to remember her late husband -- including Pastorius Park in Oakland Park and a postage stamp campaign. Her family could not be reached for comment at deadline.
As has happened on several occasions in the past, Ingrid was planning to host a birthday celebration in honor of what would have been Jaco's 60th birthday on Sunday, December 4, at the Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton. The event information is here, and once we hear more, we'll update this posting.
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