The older brother of double F1 world champion Emerson and father of Indycar race-winner Christian had been ill for some time.
He had been hospitalised since Christmas Day, which was also his birthday, after he choked on a piece of meat. His family was unable to clear his airway, which triggered a cardiac arrest.
Born in Sao Paulo, he drove a wide variety of cars in his youth, encouraged by father and key Brazilian racing figure Wilson Fittipaldi Sr.
In 1966 he had a brief initial stint in Europe in Formula 3, but it was younger brother Emerson who first made a real impact when he went to the UK in 1969, reaching F1 with Team Lotus the following year.
Wilson made a full-time move to Europe in 1970, taking advantage of Emerson's success. That year he raced in F3 against the likes of Niki Lauda and James Hunt, winning a British championship round as well as a couple of non-championship events.
At the start of 1971, he made his F1 debut in a works Team Lotus entry alongside Emerson in the non-championship Argentinian GP.
That year he also moved up to F2 with a Team Bardahl Lotus. He scored points on six occasions, notably a third place at Hockenheim, and finished sixth in the championship in a field that included the likes of Ronnie Peterson and Carlos Reutemann.
Source: Autosport