Celeste Arantes, mother of Brazilian soccer legend Pele, has died at age 101, outliving her famous son by 18 months, her family announced Friday.
Arantes was 17 when she gave birth to her first child on October 23, 1940, a child who would grow up to become the man widely considered the greatest footballer of all time.
“Rest in peace, grandmother,” Pelé’s eldest son Edinho wrote on Instagram, a message illustrated with a photo of him hugging his grandmother.
No details on the cause of death were provided.
According to local media, Arantes had been hospitalized for eight days and died on Friday.
At the time of his son’s death, family members said Arantes had cognitive difficulties and was unaware of his world-famous son’s death.
Arantes, who married Pelé’s father, Joao Ramos do Nascimento, at the age of 16, also had another son, Jair, who died in 2020 of cancer, the same disease that took Pelé’s life.
A stay-at-home mother, she dedicated her life to caring for her children.
“From a young age, he taught me the value of love and peace,” Pelé wrote on Instagram on his 100th birthday, alongside three photos of them together at different stages of life.
Nine days later, Pelé was admitted to hospital in São Paulo, where he died of cancer. His funeral procession included an emotional stop at his mother’s house.
Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé was the only player in history to win three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970).
Arantes has spent the last five years in a vegetative state and was not informed of her famous son’s death in 2022.
She has been hospitalized for the past eight days, the Brazilian Football Confederation said in a statement.
The Pelé Foundation said on its social media channels that the mother of the only three-time World Cup winning player was a role model.
“The feelings today are mixed. We deeply mourn the departure of “Celestinha”, as her son affectionately called her. At the same time, we are eternally grateful for her existence,” the foundation said.
“Dona Celeste is the Queen Mother and will forever be fondly remembered in our hearts and memories.”
Santos, the club where Pelé played most of his career, said its fans were saddened by the death of their eternal king’s mother.
The Clube’s statement reads: “The Santos Futebol Clube is deeply sorry for the death of Celeste Arantes do Nascimento, the mother of our eternal king.
“He was 101 years old with an inspiring life story. A black woman who faced endless adversity in her life for the sake of her family.”
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known worldwide as Pelé, was one of Celeste Arantes’ three sons. She was initially against her son becoming a professional footballer, but gradually changed her opinion as her son became more successful.
The Brazilian icon died on December 29, 2022, at the age of 82, after a long battle with cancer. She had previously suffered from kidney and prostate problems and in 2021 she underwent surgery to remove a colon tumor.
[Associated Press]
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