As Pele’s hearse traveled to the location of the 24-hour public wake that starts on Monday, football fans in Sao Paulo lit fireworks and waved flags in the streets.
Three-time World Cup champion Pele was placed in hospice care in the beginning of December after his body stopped responding to cancer therapy.
His passing was reported on Thursday. He was 82.
After leaving a lasting impression on Brazil and Santos, for whom he scored 643 goals in 659 games over the course of 18 years, tributes have poured in for the football legend.
Obrigado, Rei Pelé. pic.twitter.com/2Xb7XElR41
— Santos FC (@SantosFC) December 29, 2022
Early on Monday morning, his body departed the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital, where he passed away, in preparation for his wake, which drew throngs of people to say their final goodbyes.
The public wake will be held at Santos’ Vila Belmiro stadium beginning at 10:00 local time, with Pele’s casket positioned in the middle of the field.
Fans and dignitaries can pay their respects till Tuesday at 10:00 local time.
Pele will subsequently be buried in a private ceremony on the ninth level of the Memorial Necropole Ecumenica, a vertical cemetery with a moving view of the Vila Belmiro about half a mile distant, following a procession through the streets of Santos.