Celeste Arantes, the mother of popular Brazilian football legend Pele, has died. She died at the age of 101, outliving her son by 18 months, the family has announced.
Arantes was 17 years old when she gave birth to her first child on October 23, 1940, a baby that later became the man globally considered the greatest footballer of all time.
On his Instagram page, Pele’s eldest son, Edinho, wrote: “Rest in peace, grandma.” The message was illustrated with a picture of him hugging his grandmother.
Though no details have been given about the cause of her death, local media reported that Arantes had been hospitalized for eight days and died recently.
When her son died, family members said Arantes had cognitive problems and was unaware her world-famous son had died.
Arantes married Pele’s father, Joao Ramos do Nascimento, at the age of 16 and had had another son, Jair, who died of Cancer, the same illness that killed Pele, in 2020.
As a stay-at-home mother, she dedicated her life to caring for her children.
On her 100th birthday, Pele wrote: “From a young age, she taught me the value of love and peace.”
Pele was the only player in history to have won three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970).