Biography & memorial of Brazil died people

Fatma Ceren Necipoglu 1973 - 2009 Harpist and university lecturer

Zumbi dos Palmares 1655 - 1695 Leader of Quilombo dos Palmares

Saint Anthony 1739 - 1822 Founder of the Conceptionist Sisters

Jose Mojica Marins 1936 - 2020 Horror filmmaker and actor

Gal Costa 1945 - 2022 Samba-canção singer and actress

Elon Lages Lima 1929 - 2017 structural stability of dynamical systems

Humberto Mauro 1897 - 1983 film director, screenwriter, cinematographer

Carlos Chagas 1879 - 1934 Physician and scientist

Victor Meirelles de Lima 1832 - 1903 History painter

Julio Prestes 1882 - 1946 President-elect of Brazil

Daisy Lucidi 1929 - 2020 actress, politician, radio broadcaster

Pele 1940 - 2022 Footballer

Leny Andrade 1934 - 2023 Samba-canção singer and actress

Elis Regina 1945 - 1982 Singer of bossa nova, MPB, and jazz

Joaquim Aurelio Barreto Nabuco de Araujo 1849 - 1910 Abolitionist, diplomat, politician, writer

Ana Justina Ferreira Neri 1814 - 1880 Nurse

Aziz Nacib Ab Saber 1924 - 2012 Geographer and professor

Alberto Cavalcanti 1897 - 1982 Film director and producer

Lygia Pape 1927 - 2004 Abstract artist and co-founder

Getulio Vargas 1882 - 1954 President of Brazil

Ariano Suassuna 1927 - 2014 Writer and playwright

Zuzu Angel 1921 - 1976 Fashion designer

Ada Chaseliov 1952 - 2015 Actress of theater, cinema and television

Marielle Franco 1979 - 2018 Councillor of Rio de Janeiro

Hebe Camargo 1929 - 2012 TV host, singer and actress

Eliezer Gomes 1920 - 1979 film and TV actor

Flavio Migliaccio 1934 - 2020 TV and theater pioneer

Candido Portinari 1903 - 1962 Painter and muralist

Alberto Nepomuceno 1864 - 1920 Brazilian classical music pioneer

Zola Amaro 1891 - 1944 Operatic soprano

Jorge Amado 1912 - 2001 Novelist and historian

Alberto Ruschel 1918 - 1996 acting in O Cangaceiro and other films

Gilberto Freyre 1900 - 1987 Sociologist and writer

Sylvia Telles 1934 - 1966 Jazz, samba and bossa nova singer and composer

Mario Schenberg 1914 - 1990 divulgation of science and medicine

Jose Carlos do Patrocinio 1853 - 1905 Abolitionist, journalist, writer, orator

Lygia Clark 1928 - 2020 Abstract artist and inventor

Adriana Prieto 1950 - 1974 Actress of theater, cinema and television

Astrud Gilberto 1940 - 2023 Bossa nova singer and songwriter

Ernesto Geisel 1907 - 1996 President of Brazil and leader

Nise da Silveira 1905 - 1999 humanizing psychiatric treatment in Brazil

Jose Marcio Ayres 1954 - 2003 Primatologist and conservationist

Darcy Ribeiro 1922 - 1997 Anthropologist, historian, sociologist

Roberto Landell de Moura 1861 - 1928 wireless communication and radio broadcasting

Juscelino Kubitschek 1902 - 1976 President of Brazil

Paulo Caruso 1949 - 2023 political cartoonist and humorist

Tarsila de Aguiar do Amaral 1886 - 1973 painter

Janio Quadros 1917 - 1992 President of Brazil

Candido Rondon 1865 - 1958 Founder of the Indian Protection Service

Lima Barreto 1881 - 1922 Novelist and short story writer

Nelson Rodrigues 1912 - 1980 Writer and playwright

Oswaldo Goeldi 1895 - 1961 Expressionist xylographer

Rachel de Queiroz 1910 - 2003 Novelist and journalist

erico Verissimo 1905 - 1975 Novelist and historian

Maria Clara Machado 1921 - 2001 Writer and playwright

Giuseppe Giannini Pancetti 1902 - 1958 Modernist painter

Tarcisio Meira 1935 - 2021 Theater and television actor

Paulo Gracindo 1911 - 1995 Actor, radio host and TV presenter

Maria Tomasia Figueira Lima 1826 - 1902 Abolitionist

Abelardo Barbosa 1917 - 1988 TV presenter and comedian

Jose Alencar Gomes da Silva 1931 - 2011 Vice president of Brazil, founder

Paulo Hermanny Jobim 1950 - 2022 Singer, guitarist, flutist, arranger, architect

Prudente de Morais 1841 - 1902 President of Brazil

Ana Carolina Reston Macan 1985 - 2006 Model

Jayme Tiomno 1920 - 2011 divulgation of science and medicine

Fernando Sabino 1923 - 2004 Novelist and short story writer

Antonio Abujamra 1932 - 2015 acting in O Cangaceiro and other films

Joaquim Jose da Silva Xavier 1746 - 1792 Leader of the Inconfidência Mineira

Mario Covas 1930 - 2001 Governor of São Paulo

Hugo Carvana 1937 - 2014 TV and theater pioneer

Emiliano Di Cavalcanti 1897 - 1976 Painter and illustrator

Elza Soares 1930 - 2022 Samba singer and composer

Cesar Lattes 1924 - 2005 experimental physicist

Manfredo do Carmo 1928 - 2018 differential topology, algebraic topology

Adib Jatene 1929 - 2014 cardiac surgeon

Loalwa Braz 1953 - 2017 Lead vocalist of Kaoma

Cecilia Meireles 1901 - 1964 Poet and writer

Joaquim Marques Lisboa 1807 - 1897 Admiral of the Imperial Brazilian Navy

Jose Maria da Silva Paranhos Junior 1845 - 1912 Minister of Foreign Affairs

Paulo Emilio Vanzolini 1924 - 2013 divulgation of science and medicine

Jose Reis 1907 - 2002 divulgation of science and medicine

Cleyde Yaconis 1923 - 2013 Actress

Fab Melo 1990 - 2017 Professional basketball player

Olavo Bilac 1865 - 1918 Poet and writer

Anita Garibaldi 1821 - 1849 Revolutionary fighter

Adolfo Lutz 1855 - 1940 tropical medicine and zoology

Moyses Baumstein 1931 - 1991 Artist, inventor, writer, filmmaker

Lygia Fagundes Telles 1918 - 2022 Novelist and short story writer

Eduardo Campos 1965 - 2014 Governor of Pernambuco

Jose Wilker 1944 - 2014 Actor, director

Rui Barbosa 1849 - 1923 Writer, diplomat, orator

Jose Lewgoy 1920 - 2003 Actor

Leonel Brizola 1922 - 2004 Governor of Rio Grande do Sul and Rio de Janeiro

Eneas Carneiro 1938 - 2007 Founder and leader of PRONA

Clodovil Hernandes 1937 - 2009 Fashion designer, TV presenter, politician

Pedro Henrique 1993 - 2023 Gospel singer

Menotti del Picchia 1892 - 1988 Poet and writer

Oswaldo Loureiro 1932 - 2018 TV and theater pioneer

Sergio Britto 1923 - 2011 Actor, director, presenter and writer

Andre Reboucas 1838 - 1898 wireless communication ,radio broadcasting

Andre Franco Montoro 1916 - 1999 Governor of São Paulo, senator, and minister

Rolando Boldrin 1936 - 2022 Actor, singer, composer and presenter

Assis Chateaubriand 1892 - 1968 Founder and director of Diários Associados

Roberto Marinho 1904 - 2003 Founder and owner of Grupo Globo

Carlos Lacerda 1914 - 1977 Mayor of São Paulo and governor of São Paulo

Welington de Melo 1946 - 2016 structural stability of dynamical systems

Milton Goncalves 1933 - 2022 TV and theater pioneer

Oswald de Andrade 1890 - 1954 Novelist and cultural critic

Atila Icrio 1921 - 2002 acting in O Cangaceiro and other films

Oduvaldo Vianna Filho 1936 - 1974 Writer and playwright

Floriano Peixoto 1839 - 1895 President of Brazil

Vinicius de Moraes 1913 - 1980 Poet and composer

Aluisio Azevedo 1843 - 1899 Novelist and historian

Heitor Villa Lobos 1887 - 1959 Brazilian composer and classical guitarist

Eduardo Coutinho 1933 - 2014 Film director and journalist

Jose Ferraz de Almeida Junior 1850 - 1899 Painter

Leonardo Villar 1923 - 2020 Actor, director

Mario Lago 1911 - 2002 TV and theater pioneer

Alda Garrido 1896 - 1970 Actress and theater star

Fabio Barreto 1957 - 2019 Film director and producer

Grande Otelo 1915 - 1993 Actor, comedian and singer

Rogerio Sganzerla 1946 - 2004 Director and writer of The Red Light Bandit

Glauber Rocha 1939 - 1981 Film director and writer

Joao Batista Vilanova Artigas 1915 - 1984 Modernist architect

Andre Matos 1971 - 2019 Singer and musician of Viper, Angra, Shaman

Bibi Ferreira 1922 - 2019 Actress and theater star

Joffre Soares 1918 - 1996 TV and theater pioneer

Joel Barcellos 1936 - 2018 TV and theater pioneer

Erasmo Carlos 1941 - 2022 Singer and composer

Florestan Fernandes 1920 - 1995 Sociologist and politician

Paulo Evaristo Arns 1921 - 2016 Archbishop of São Paulo

Euclides da Cunha 1866 - 1909 Writer and journalist

Alvares de Azevedo 1831 - 1852 Poet and writer

Manuel Francisco dos Santos 1933 - 1983 Expressionist xylographer

Alberto Santos-Dumont 1873 - 1932 Aviation pioneer and inventor

Dionisio Azevedo 1922 - 1994 TV and theater pioneer

Luiz de Barros 1893 - 1982 Film director, producer, editor, screenwriter

Marilia Soares Pera 1943 - 2015 Actress, singer

Walter Hugo Khouri 1929 - 2003 Film director, screenwriter, producer

Golbery do Couto e Silva 1911 - 1987 Chief of Staff of the Presidency

Fernando Flavio Marques de Almeida 1916 - 2013 geologist

Tancredo Neves 1910 - 1985 President-elect of Brazil

Monteiro Lobato 1882 - 1948 Novelist and children's literature author

Norma Bengell 1935 - 2013 Actress, film director, screenwriter

Nelson Pereira dos Santos 1928 - 2018 Film director

Antonio Goncalves Dias 1823 - 1864 Poet and writer

Eurico Gaspar Dutra 1907 - 1996 President of Brazil and leader

Eduardo Galvao 1962 - 2020 TV and theater actor

Maria Esther Bueno 1939 - 2018 Professional tennis player

Aracy Balabanian 1940 - 2023 Actress and theater star

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Top 10 Died Influential People

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1. Emperor Pedro II

Died: 1891 A.D
Slogan: May God grant me these last wishes – peace and prosperity for Brazil.
Pedro II was the second and last emperor of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, the seventh child of Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil and Empress Dona Maria Leopoldina. His father's abrupt abdication and departure to Europe in 1831 left the five-year-old as emperor and led to a grim and lonely childhood and adolescence, obliged to spend his time studying in preparation for rule. His experiences with court intrigues and political disputes during this period greatly affected his later character; he grew into a man with a strong sense of duty and devotion toward his country and his people, yet increasingly resentful of his role as monarch. Pedro II inherited an empire on the verge of disintegration, but he turned Brazil into an emerging power in the international arena. The nation grew to be distinguished from its Hispanic neighbors on account of its political stability, zealously guarded freedom of speech, respect for civil rights, vibrant economic growth, and form of government—a functional representative parliamentary monarchy. Brazil was also victorious in the Platine War, the Uruguayan War, and the Paraguayan War, as well as prevailing in several other international disputes and domestic tensions. Pedro II steadfastly pushed through the abolition of slavery despite opposition from powerful political and economic interests. A savant in his own right, the Emperor established a reputation as a vigorous sponsor of learning, culture, and the sciences, and he won the respect and admiration of people such as Charles Darwin, Victor Hugo, and Friedrich Nietzsche, and was a friend to Richard Wagner, Louis Pasteur, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, among others. He was married to Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies, with whom he had four children, two of whom died in infancy. He was a devoted father and husband, and a cultured and well-read man. He was also a lover of nature and photography, and a patron of the arts and sciences. He was deposed by a military coup in 1889, which proclaimed Brazil a republic. He accepted the end of the monarchy without resistance and went into exile in Europe with his family. He died in Paris in 1891, at the age of 66, and his remains were later returned to Brazil with honors. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Brazilian leaders and a champion of democracy, freedom, and progress.

Emperor Pedro II Profile
2. Bento Goncalves da Silva

Died: 1847 A.D
Slogan: The cause of the people is the cause of God.
Bento Gonçalves da Silva was a Brazilian army officer, politician and rebel leader of the Riograndense Republic. He was the first President of the Riograndense Republic and, by all accounts, one of the most prominent figures in the history of Rio Grande do Sul. Although a staunch monarchist, Gonçalves led the rebel forces in the Ragamuffin War. Radicals within the rebel ranks forced the rebellion to become republican, something that Gonçalves opposed. Still, even though he fought against the Empire of Brazil, Gonçalves and his troops celebrated the birthday of the young emperor Pedro II of Brazil. After the conflict ended with the victory of the Empire, Gonçalves paid his respect to Pedro II by kissing his hand during the latter's trip to Rio Grande do Sul in December 1845. His main companions in arms during the rebellion were Antônio de Souza Neto and Giuseppe Garibaldi. Gonçalves was born in Triunfo, Rio Grande do Sul, in 1788. He joined the Portuguese Army in 1811 and fought in the First and Second Banda Oriental Campaigns. He also participated in the Cisplatine War against Argentina and Uruguay. He rose to the rank of colonel and became the commander of the cavalry regiment in Porto Alegre. He was also a member of the Liberal Party and a supporter of the Constitutionalist Revolution of 1822. In 1835, Gonçalves led a revolt against the centralist government of Brazil, which he considered oppressive and neglectful of the interests of Rio Grande do Sul. He declared the independence of the province and established the Riograndense Republic, with himself as president. He faced the resistance of the loyalist forces, led by his brother-in-law Manuel Marques de Sousa, Count of Porto Alegre. He was captured in 1836 and imprisoned in Bahia, but he managed to escape in 1837 and rejoined the rebel army. He fought in several battles, such as the Siege of Porto Alegre, the Battle of Seival, and the Battle of Fanfa. He also tried to negotiate a peaceful settlement with the imperial government, but his efforts were frustrated by the radical republicans, who wanted to continue the war. Gonçalves died in 1847, in Pedras Brancas, Rio Grande do Sul, of pneumonia. He was buried in the same place, where a monument was erected in his honor. He is regarded as a hero and a symbol of the gaúcho culture and identity. He is also the namesake of the city of Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul.

Bento Goncalves da Silva Profile
3. Saint Anthony

Died: 1822 A.D
Slogan: The Blessed Virgin is the path that leads us to God
Saint Anthony of Saint Anne Galvão was a Brazilian friar of the Franciscan Order who lived from 1739 to 1822. He was one of the best-known religious figures in colonial Brazil, renowned for his healing powers and his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007, becoming the first Brazilian-born saint. He was also the patron of World Youth Day 2013. He entered the novitiate of the St. Bonaventure Friary in 1760 and took the name of Anthony of Saint Anne. He was ordained a priest in 1762 and sent to St. Francis Friary in São Paulo, where he continued his studies in theology and philosophy. He was appointed preacher, confessor and porter of the convent, and also served as confessor to the Recollects of St. Teresa. He collaborated in the foundation of the Conceptionist Sisters, a religious congregation dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of Mary. He wrote the statutes and rules for the new institute and became its spiritual director. He also helped to build the convent and church, which took him 28 years to complete. He was known for his humility, prudence and charity. He performed many miracles of healing, conversion and reconciliation. He also distributed small paper pills with a prayer to the Blessed Virgin, which became popular as a remedy for physical and spiritual ailments. He died of natural causes in 1822, at the age of 83. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1998 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007.

Saint Anthony Profile
4. Deodoro da Fonseca

Died: 1892 A.D
Slogan: The future is ours
Deodoro da Fonseca was a Brazilian politician and military officer who served as the first president of Brazil. He was born in Alagoas in a military family, followed a military career, and became a national figure. Fonseca took office as provisional president after heading a military coup that deposed Emperor Pedro II and established the First Brazilian Republic in 1889, disestablishing the Empire. After his election in 1891, he stepped down the same year under great political pressure when he dissolved the National Congress. He died less than a year later.

Deodoro da Fonseca Profile
5. Isabel Cristina Leopoldina Augusta Micaela

Died: 1921 A.D
Slogan: If it is in the interest of my country, I will go to the scaffold.
Isabel was the eldest daughter of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and Empress Teresa Cristina. She was born in 1846 in Rio de Janeiro and was baptized with the honorific title of Dona. She had two brothers who died in infancy, making her the heiress presumptive to the Brazilian throne. She was educated by tutors and learned several languages, history, geography, music, and arts. She also developed a strong Catholic faith and a sense of duty to her country. In 1864, she married a French prince, Gaston, Count of Eu, in an arranged marriage. They had three sons, Pedro, Luís, and Antônio, who were also in the line of succession. Isabel and Gaston had a harmonious relationship and shared common interests in culture, science, and philanthropy. They lived in a palace in Petrópolis, where they hosted many social and artistic events. Isabel acted as regent of the Empire of Brazil three times, when her father traveled abroad. She proved to be a capable and popular ruler, who supported reforms in education, agriculture, transportation, and public health. She also promoted the abolition of slavery, which was still a widespread institution in Brazil. In 1871, she signed the Free Womb Law, which granted freedom to all children born to slave mothers. In 1885, she signed the Sexagenarian Law, which freed all slaves over 60 years old. Finally, in 1888, she signed the Golden Law, which abolished slavery in Brazil without any compensation to the slave owners. This law earned her the nickname of "the Redemptress" and the gratitude of the former slaves, but also the resentment of the powerful planters and the military. In 1889, a military coup d'état overthrew the monarchy and proclaimed the Republic of Brazil. Isabel and her family were exiled to France, where they lived in the Château d'Eu. Isabel never renounced her rights to the throne, and was recognized as the head of the Imperial House of Brazil by the monarchist movement. She hoped to return to Brazil one day, but she died in 1921 from pneumonia. Her remains were repatriated to Brazil in 1953 and buried in the Cathedral of Petrópolis. She is regarded as one of the most influential and beloved figures in Brazilian history.

Isabel Cristina Leopoldina Augusta Micaela Profile
6. Prudente de Morais

Died: 1902 A.D
Slogan: The people are the true owners of power
Prudente de Morais was a Brazilian politician and lawyer who was the first civilian president of Brazil and the first elected by direct popular vote. He was also the president of the Constituent Congress that drafted and approved the 1891 Constitution. He served as president from 1894 to 1898, during which he faced several challenges, such as the War of Canudos, a peasant revolt in the northeast, a diplomatic crisis with Portugal, and an assassination attempt. He was known for his honesty, moderation, and respect for the constitution. He was also a founder and member of the Republican Party of São Paulo (PRP) and later the Federal Republican Party (PRF). He was a defender of democracy and federalism. He died of pneumonia in 1902, at the age of 61.

Prudente de Morais Profile
7. Joaquim Jose da Silva Xavier

Died: 1792 A.D
Slogan: I am ready to give my life for this cause.
Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, also known as Tiradentes, was a Brazilian patriot and revolutionary who organized and led the first major uprising against Portuguese colonial rule in Brazil. He was born in 1746 in a farm near the town of São João del-Rei, in the province of Minas Gerais. He was the fourth of seven children of a Portuguese father and a Brazilian mother. He received some education from his godfather, who was a dentist, and learned various trades, such as peddler, miner, pharmacist, and doctor. He also became a member of the colonial militia, where he reached the rank of alferes (lieutenant). He was influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment and the American and French revolutions, and became dissatisfied with the oppressive taxation and exploitation imposed by the Portuguese crown on the Brazilian colonists. He joined a secret society of intellectuals, landowners, priests, and military officers, who planned to overthrow the colonial government and establish an independent republic in Brazil. This movement was known as the Inconfidência Mineira, or the Minas Gerais Conspiracy, and Tiradentes was one of its most active and enthusiastic leaders. He traveled across the province to recruit supporters and organize the rebellion. However, the plot was discovered by the authorities in 1789, before it could be carried out. The conspirators were arrested and tried by a royal tribunal. Tiradentes assumed full responsibility for the conspiracy and defended his ideals with eloquence and courage. He was sentenced to death by hanging, along with ten other conspirators, while the rest received lesser punishments. His execution took place on April 21, 1792, in Rio de Janeiro. His body was quartered and his head was displayed in a public square in Vila Rica, the capital of Minas Gerais, as a warning to other potential rebels. Tiradentes was initially forgotten by the Brazilian people, but after the proclamation of the Republic in 1889, he was rediscovered and celebrated as a national hero and a martyr of independence. His name and image became symbols of Brazilian identity and patriotism. He is honored with a public holiday on April 21, and his legacy is commemorated in monuments, museums, streets, and schools throughout the country.

Joaquim Jose da Silva Xavier Profile
8. Jose Bonifacio de Andrada e Silva

Died: 1838 A.D
Slogan: The independence we have already proclaimed; now we need to make it effective.
José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva was born on June 13, 1763, in Santos, São Paulo, then part of the Portuguese Empire. He studied natural sciences and law at the University of Coimbra in Portugal, where he became a distinguished scholar and professor of geology. He also served as the inspector-general of the Portuguese mines and the secretary of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences. He returned to Brazil in 1819 and became involved in the political movement for independence from Portugal. He supported Prince Regent Pedro, who declared Brazil's independence in 1822 and became Emperor Pedro I. José Bonifácio was appointed as the minister of the interior and of foreign affairs, and he advocated for a constitutional monarchy, public education, abolition of slavery, and a new national capital in the interior. He also wrote poems and essays on various topics, such as history, politics, philosophy, and natural sciences. He discovered four new minerals and named one of them petalite, after the Greek word for leaf. He was also a member of several scientific societies and academies in Europe and America. He faced opposition from both conservative and radical factions in Brazil, and he was dismissed from office in 1823. He was later arrested and exiled for his involvement in a conspiracy against Pedro I, who abdicated in 1831. He returned to Brazil and became the tutor and guardian of Pedro II, the young emperor. He also served as a deputy in the National Assembly, where he defended the rights of the indigenous people and the environment. He contracted tuberculosis in 1836 and died on April 6, 1838, in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in Brazilian history and the "Patriarch of Independence".

Jose Bonifacio de Andrada e Silva Profile
9. Antonio Goncalves Dias

Died: 1864 A.D
Slogan: My land has palm trees, where the thrush sings; the birds that sing here do not sing.
Antônio Gonçalves Dias was a Brazilian poet and writer, one of the most important and influential authors of the 19th century in Brazil. He was born in Caxias, Maranhão, in 1823, and studied law at the University of Coimbra, in Portugal, where he was exposed to the Romantic movement. He returned to Brazil in 1845 and began his literary career, publishing his first poetry book, Primeiros Cantos, in 1846. He was one of the founders of the Indianist school of poetry, which idealized the indigenous people and culture of Brazil as symbols of national identity and resistance against colonialism. He wrote several poems inspired by the legends and history of the native Brazilians, such as I-Juca-Pirama, Leito de Folhas Verdes, Canção do Tamoio, and Marabá. He also wrote patriotic and lyrical poems, such as Canção do Exílio, Seus Olhos, and Ainda uma Vez, Adeus. He was also a scholar of Brazilian languages and folklore, and wrote a dictionary of the Tupi language. He died in 1864, at the age of 41, in a shipwreck near the coast of Maranhão, while returning from a diplomatic mission in Europe. He is regarded as the national poet of Brazil and one of the greatest representatives of Brazilian Romanticism.

Antonio Goncalves Dias Profile
10. Pele

Died: 2022 A.D
Slogan: Success is no accident. It is hard work, and most of all, love of what you are doing
Pelé was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century. He was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and was included in the Time list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. He won three FIFA World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1970, the only player to do so and the youngest player to win a World Cup (17). He was nicknamed O Rei (The King) following the 1958 tournament. He scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which is a Guinness World Record. He played for Santos FC for 18 years, where he won 10 São Paulo state championships, six Brazilian championships, two Copa Libertadores and two Intercontinental Cups. He also played for the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League, where he won one championship and helped popularize soccer in the United States. He retired from professional football in 1977, but remained active in sports and humanitarian causes. He was appointed a UNESCO goodwill ambassador in 1993 and a United Nations ambassador for ecology and the environment in 1994. He also served as Brazil's Minister of Sports from 1995 to 1998. He published several autobiographies, starred in documentary and semi-fictional films, and composed musical pieces, including the soundtrack for the film Pelé (1977). He was married three times and had seven children. He died on December 29, 2022, at Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, from multiple organ failure due to the progression of colon cancer. He was 82 years old.

Pele Profile