Cesaria Evora, Grammy-winning singer dead at 70

Cesaria Evora, known as the 'Barefoot Diva' died on Saturday at age 70, three months after retiring.

According to the Associated Press, Evora started singing as a teenager in the Cape Verde Islands off West Africa, a former Portuguese colony. She mostly sang in the local version of Creole and gained fame later in life with her 1988 album, "La Diva Aux Pieds Nus" ("Barefoot Diva").

She died on her native island of Sao Vicente in Cape Verde, her record label Lusafrica said in a statement on its website.

Her 2005 album, "Cesaria" earned the singer her first Grammy nomination and a national tour. Evora won a Grammy Award in 2003 in the World Music category for her album, "Voz D'Amor."

After decades of smoking, Evora was diagnosed with heart problems in 2005 and suffered strokes in 2008 and in September 2011, when she announced her retirement. She has undergone several operations in recent years, including open-heart surgery last year.

Evora had a son and a daughter, with different fathers, but never married.

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