Pele's mother dies at the age of 101, having spent last five years in vegetative state

The mother of legendary Brazilian footballer Pele has died aged 101 after spending years in a vegetative state.

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• Pele's mother dies
• Aged 101
• Two years after her son passed away

• Table of Contents

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Celeste Arantes, who was the mother of Pele, died at the age of 101 on Friday. She had spent the last five years in a vegetative state and was not told about her son's death back in 2022.

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  WHAT WAS SAID

  Pele's former club Santos released a statement, which read: "Santos Futebol Clube is deeply sorry about the death of Celeste Arantes do Nascimento, the mother of our eternal king.

  “She had 101 years of an inspiring life story. A black woman who faced endless adversities in life for the good of her family.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Brazilian icon died in December 2022, aged 82, following a lengthy battle with cancer. He had suffered kidney and prostate problems beforehand and had surgery to remove a tumour from his colon in 2021.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Pele was one of her three children and she was originally against her son becoming a professional footballer. However, these views gradually changed as he became more successful in the sport.