Brazilian actor Francisco Cuoco died on Thursday (19) at the age of 91 in São Paulo, after about 20 days hospitalized at Hospital Albert Einstein. According to the report, the actor was facing multiple health problems and was sedated when he contracted an infection caused by a wound. The cause of death was multiple organ failure.
Born in 1933 in São Paulo, Cuoco had over 60 years of career in acting for television, theater, and cinema. His first television appearances were on Grande Teatro Tupi, a TV Tupi program that adapted theater plays.
His first appearance in a telenovela was on TV Record, in Marcados pelo Amor, in 1964. Then, in 1966, he acted in Redenção on TV Excelsior. On the same network, in 1968, he was in Legião dos Esquecidos.
Starting in 1970, Cuoco began acting in TV Globo productions.
First, in Assim na Terra Como no Céu, where he played a priest. Other highlights were Selva de Pedra in 1972, O semideus in 1973, and Cuca Legal in 1975.
One of the actor’s greatest successes was the taxi driver Carlão, a character he portrayed in Pecado Capital, also in 1975.
Between the 1990s and 2000s, he acted more in film productions. On that list were Traição in 1998, Gêmeas in 1999, Um Anjo Trapalhão in 2000, A Partilha in 2001, and Cafundó in 2005.
“It is with sorrow and dismay that the family announces the passing of actor Francisco Cuoco. He was with the family and departed peacefully and serenely. We thank all the messages of condolence and expressions of affection,” says an excerpt from the note released by the family. “Our eternal gratitude and love for having had you in our lives”.
Francisco Cuoco Lies in State in São Paulo as Fans Bid Farewell to the Actor
The farewell to Francisco Cuoco, one of the greatest heartthrobs in the history of Brazilian television, began in the early hours of this Friday (20) in São Paulo. According to Folha de S.Paulo, the actor’s body arrived around 7 a.m. at Casa Daphnis de Freitas Valle, a historic mansion adapted as a funeral home near Avenida Paulista, where the wake was held.
The ceremony’s start, scheduled for 7 a.m., was delayed by about 30 minutes due to room preparations. The artist’s family members, who did not authorize photographic records of the moment, were present from early on in a ceremony open to the public. Three vehicles from the Metropolitan Civil Guard discreetly monitored the movement, which was calm and without crowds.
The wake is scheduled to end at 3 p.m., when the body will be taken for burial, reserved for family and close friends, scheduled for 4 p.m. The actor leaves three children — Rodrigo, Diogo, and Tatiana —, who live in London and came to Brazil to visit their father, already unconscious, in his final days of life.
Fonte: Agência Brasil e www.brasil247.com