Legendary Brazilian footballer, Pele, dies of colon cancer aged 82
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, popularly known as Pele, the Brazilian who has long been considered the greatest footballer of all time, has died at the age of 82.
The legendary figure, a man who transcended his sport and was a global icon, learned that his colon cancer had advanced on December 21 and was told he would be kept in hospital over Christmas, with the iconic forward needing treatment for cardiac and renal dysfunction.
Previously he had been admitted to the hospital on November 30 with swelling all over his body and ‘decompensated heart failure’ before passing away a month on after receiving palliative care.
Pele’s daughter, Kely Nascimento, wrote on Instagram: “We are thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace.”
Nascimento, who had posted before Christmas that members of Pele’s family would spend the holiday period in the hospital with him, added three heartbroken emojis.
No details have been made public yet about the funeral, but a vigil will be held at Vila Belmiro in Santos, the city where the great will be buried.
Pele, who had been undergoing treatment for metastatic cancer, went into the Albert Einstein hospital in what was an unscheduled visit after being taken by his wife Marcia Aoki and a carer.
Medical staff at the Einstein confirmed his condition of anasarca (general swelling), an edemigemic syndrome (general edema) and even identified ‘decompensated heart failure’.
It had also been reported that his chemotherapy treatment on his cancer was no longer working, while he was diagnosed with mental confusion upon entering the hospital, where he was restless.
According to reports, the former footballer was reportedly struggling to eat. Medics looked at the likelihood of him having a hepatic encephalopathy – a nervous system disorder brought on by severe liver disease.
His wife implied his hospital visit was only for his standard chemotherapy and check-ups and his daughter Kely Nascimento insisted there was no need need for alarm and that there was ‘no surprise or emergency’ involved with her father being in hospital.
On Christmas Eve, Pele’s daughter posted a moving photo of her father in a hospital bed as they cherish ‘another night together’ as he continued to battle the cancer.
“We continue to be here, in fight and in faith. Another night together,” his daughter Kely Nascimento wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of Pele being hugged in bed. Pele’s granddaughter Sophia could also be seen in the photo.
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