Pele's daughter dies of cancer at 42

Brazilian football legend Pele's daughter Sandra Regina Arantes do Nascimento died of cancer at 42 years old on Tuesday morning in Santos, in Sao Paulo states coast.

Nascimento fought a legal battle from 1991 to 1996 to have Pele recognized as her father, which she proved by means of a DNA test.

Before she was allowed to use the former players surname, she was called Sandra Regina Machado. Her mother, Anizia Machado, had a love affair with Pele in 1963, while he was a player at the football club Santos, which won two Intercontinental Cup titles with the striker in the team.

Father and daughter were not close, and Nascimento wrote a book on his fathers rejection towards her, The Daughter the King Did Not Want.

Born in the neighboring town of Guaruja, she was in her second term as a city councilor in Santos. Her most famous measure in the position was to provide free DNA tests for patients of the public health service.

Peles press office announced he will not attend the funeral.

Pele has meetings in Sao Paulo and will send a wreath in the name of the family. He will not go to the funeral and would rather stay home praying, which is what people need at the moment, said Pele's spokesperson, stressing that he did not attend his parents funerals either.

Apart from Nascimento, Pele has six other children: Edson, Kelly Cristina and Jennifer, from his marriage with Rosemary Cholbi; Joshua and Celeste, from his current marriage, with Assiria Lemos; and Flavia Kurts, out of the wedlock.

Source: Xinhua