Singer Vanessa Rios Dies in Recife; Public Wake on Tuesday

Overview

• Her band and family confirmed she died Saturday night, with a farewell open to fans at Cemitério Memorial Guararapes in Jaboatão dos Guararapes on Tuesday starting at 10 a.m., followed by cremation at 4 p.m.
• Rios was diagnosed with a synovial sarcoma in the lung in 2023 after a prior sarcoma in her leg in 2019 that she had declared cured, and recent chemotherapy left her increasingly debilitated.
• She leaves a 16-year-old daughter, and relatives and colleagues shared tributes as fans prepared to pay respects at the public ceremony.
• A prominent voice in Northeast Brazilian forró and brega, she sang with Capim com Mel, Kitara and Forró do Muído, gaining national visibility by winning a 2014 TV Globo contest to join Kitara.
• Reports list her age as 42, with some outlets stating 41, and coverage notes she kept performing during treatment, including her last Brazil show in April in Olinda and a June set in Florida while seeking care abroad.