On Tuesday, a funeral procession will carry his coffin through the streets of the city of Santos, including passing down the street where his 100-year-old mother lives.
By cnn.com Wire Service |
Brazilians have started paying their final respects to football great Pelé with a 24-hour public wake, which began on Monday at the Urbano Caldeira Stadium, the home of his former football club, Santos.
The wake is open to the public and mourners began entering the stadium Monday morning.
On Tuesday, a funeral procession will then carry Pelé’s coffin through the streets of the city of Santos, including passing down the street where Pelé’s 100-year-old mother, Celeste Arantes, lives.
The procession will continue to Pelé’s final resting place, the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica cemetery, where a private funeral will be held for family members.
Fireworks greeted the hearse carrying Pelé’s coffin as it left the Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo, where the three-time World Cup winner died on Thursday from multiple organ failure due to the progression of colon cancer.
The hearse was under a heavy police escort as it headed to the stadium, where his coffin will be placed in the middle of the pitch.
Fans had already started lining the streets in the early hours of Monday morning, many holding flags or banners with messages for ‘O Rei’ (“The King”). “Pelé, you are eternal,” read one by the side of the highway.
Inside Santos’ 16,000-seater stadium, a number of large banners had been placed throughout the stands, with one reading “long live The King.”
Pelé’s son, Edson Nascimento, posted a series of stories on Instagram about the trip to Santos.
“Taking our king home”, read one that showed the convoy on the highway. Another showed his hand over the coffin with the caption: “We are home.”
Famous Brazilians, including players such as Romário and Neymar Jr., and club officials from Real Madrid and São Paulo FC, were also in attendance.
According to CNN Brasil, Pelé’s widow Marcia Aoki attended the wake and was seen hugging Edson Nascimento.
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