Singer Preta Gil has died at the age of 50 while undergoing treatment for bowel cancer, after a career which spawned six albums and numerous acting roles
Singer Preta Gil has died at the age of 50. The music star was undergoing treatment for bowel cancer in New York, and it has been confirmed her family are preparing to bring her home to Brazil following her death.
She is survived by her son Francisco and granddaughter Sol.
The Brazilian star was the daughter of Gilberto Gil, who was also a musician and a politician, the former Minister of Culture in the South American country. He confirmed the tragic death of his daughter, saying: “It is with sadness that we inform you of the death of Preta Maria Gadelha Gil Moreira, in New York, where we are currently taking care of the procedures for her repatriation to Brazil.”
Preta grew up around the music scene, once admitted that being on stage “was one thing that attracted [her] a lot”.
She became a singer in the early 2000s and went on to release six albums.
During her career she collaborated with the likes of Anitta and Pablo Vittar, who are hugely popular names around the globe.
Preta was also an actress, playing Helga in the soap opera Os Mutantes: Caminhos do Coração.
However she once admitted she didn’t think the role would go well.
She said: “When I accepted, I said: ‘It has everything to go wrong.'”She doubted the quality of the show’s special effects but admitted: “The money was good.”
In the role, her character was romantically involved with two brothers.
It was portrayed as somewhat of a throuple, which was a big move for television at the time.
She said: “It was the first threesome, and I don’t think Record TV ever understood that. They didn’t even know what it was, and I was just doing it.”
Elsewhere, Preta was a vocal advocate against racism and fatphobia, and declared herself a feminist. She also came out as pansexual in 2020.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
