Pele was laid to rest. The Brazilian football legend – who died of cancer aged 82 on 29 December – was buried on the ninth floor of the Memorial Necropole Ecumenical cemetery on Tuesday (03.01.22), in a private ceremony overlooking the Urbano Caldeira stadium in his hometown of Santos. After his body was taken to the streets, where thousands of people lined the route to pay their last respects.
Pele’s body lay in the center circle of Santos’ stadium pitch for 24 hours before a procession carried his coffin past his former family home to the Vertical Cemetery, where his 100-year-old mother Celeste and his sister looked on.
He was buried in a private ceremony attended only by his family.