Pelé, Soccer Legend and Singer-Songwriter, Dead Following Long Battle With Cancer

El Gráfico, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Following a long battle with colon cancer, Pelé, who rose from the slums of Brazil to become the man many fans regard as the greatest soccer player to ever take to the pitch, died Thursday. He was 82.

His official Instagram page confirmed his passing.

"Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today," it captioned a black-and-white photo of the icon dressed in a suit and flashing his familiar smile. "On his journey, Edson enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all our problems: love."

The news he died of multiple organ failure because of cancer was not altogether surprising. Pelé had undergone treatment for colon cancer since 2021 and had been hospitalized since November, but that did not stop it from sending tremors across the sports world and beyond.

Fellow Brazilian soccer star, and one of the few players worthy of being mentioned in the same circles when it comes to greatness in the sport, Neymar said Pelé changed everything.

"He transformed football into art, entertainment,” the legend wrote on Instagram. “Football and Brazil elevated their standing thanks to the King! He is gone, but his magic will endure. Pelé is eternal!”

Former president Barack Obama shared a picture of himself with Pelé on Twitter alongside a touching tribute to the man he called "one of the greatest to ever play the beautiful game."

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A post shared by Pelé (@pele)

"He understood the power of sports to bring people together," Obama wrote. "Our thoughts are with his family and everyone who loved and admired him."

Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé was one of the most dominant forwards to ever play.

He made his debut on the world stage at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden as a 17-year-old. The youngest player to ever compete in the tournament — he scored two goals to lead Brazil to a 5-2 victory over the host country and a legend was born.

Pelé was one of the greatest to ever play the beautiful game. And as one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, he understood the power of sports to bring people together. Our thoughts are with his family and everyone who loved and admired him. pic.twitter.com/urGRDePaPv

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 29, 2022

Over the next 20 years, he would help Brazil to two more world titles and become one of the most prolific scorers in the game during stints with Brazilian club Santos and the Brazil national team. In 1999, he was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee.

In addition to his soccer career, Pelé was an ambassador for the sport, helping popularize it in the United States with a brief sojourn as a player for the New York Cosmos of the fledgling North American Soccer League in the late '70s.

He served as Minister for Sport in his native Brazil from 1995 until 1998 and enjoyed many roles as an actor in local and international movies and television productions.

Other than soccer, however, it was his lifelong love of music that defined his career.

The singer-songwriter wrote and released several singles and albums, starting with 1977's "Pelé." In 2016 he even released an anthem in honor of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, the powerful pagode (a derivation of samba) song “Esperança.”

“I didn’t want the public to make the comparison between Pelé the composer and Pelé the football player,” he told The Guardian in 2006 of his musical aspirations. “That would have been a huge injustice. In football, my talent was a gift from God. Music was just for fun.”

A funeral is planned for Monday and Tuesday. According to the Associated Press Pelé's casket will be carried through the streets of Santos, the coastal city where his career began, before his burial.

Musician Joseph 'Jo Mersa' Marley has died at 31: Grandson of Bob Marley Reportedly Died From Asthma Attack

Photo Courtesy Instagram/@joemesamarley

Joseph "Jo Mersa" Marley, the scion of Grammy Award-winning Jamaican-American musician Stephen Marley and grandson of reggae legend Bob Marley, has died.

According to reporting from Abka Fitz-Henley, a journalist based in Jamaica who was one of the first to break the story, the 31-year-old Jamaican-American reggae artist was found unresponsive in a vehicle on Tuesday.

Representatives for the singer confirmed his death to the media but did not give a cause, however, Florida radio station WZPP posted that it has confirmed his passing was due to an asthma attack. 

This is truly sad news; sending strength to the Marley family at this time.

Repost/video credit @Babsy_grange :

I am deeply saddened by the news that artiste Joseph Marley, son of Reggae star, Stephen Marley and grand son of Reggae super star, Bob Marley has died. pic.twitter.com/OsXQKYOKEi

— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) December 28, 2022

Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness was one of many to pay tribute following the news of Marley's death.

"I extend my deepest condolences to Stephen, Jo’s mom, Kerry, the Marleys and other family members," Holness — who hosted the artist in May when he performed as part of the festivities for an event celebrating the 60th anniversary of the island country in Florida — wrote on Twitter.

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A post shared by 92.7/96.1 FM WZOP/WZPP RADIO (@wzppradio)

Holness said Marley's untimely death was a huge loss to the music world, adding, "May he find Eternal Peace as we mourn his loss during this season of goodwill when we celebrate with family and friends our love for each other."

The Jamaican-born musician moved to Miami when he was 11. He attended school in the states, including a stint at Miami-Dade College studying studio engineering, but it was clear that he would join the family business early on.

A multi-instrumental singer-songwriter, he released his first song as a teen and went on to release two albums, 2014's "Comfortable" and "Eternal" in 2021. Marley was best known for his 2016 single "Burn it Down," featuring his brother Yohan.

Tory Lanez Found Guilty in 2020 Shooting of Megan Thee Stallion

Tory Lanez

Canadian rapper and singer Tory Lanez faces up to 22 years in prison and deportation after being found guilty of three charges in the shooting of fellow musician Megan Thee Stallion.

He was convicted on all three counts against him pertaining to the July 2020 assault on Megan, which left her temporarily unable to walk and forced her to get surgery on both feet.

Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, had pleaded not guilty to assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharge of a firearm with gross negligence.

During the nine-day trial, the 30-year-old did not take the stand in his defense. It took the jury, made up of seven women and five men, one day to reach its conclusion, delivering the verdict Friday afternoon after deliberations had begun Thursday.

In a statement to CNN following the verdict, LA County DA George Gascón said Megan “showed incredible courage and vulnerability” during her testimony “despite repeated and grotesque attacks.”  

“You faced unjust and despicable scrutiny that no woman should ever face and you have been an inspiration to others across LA County and the nation,” he said, in reference to Megan.

“Women, especially Black women, are afraid to report crimes like assault and sexual violence because they are too often not believed. This trial, for the second time this month, highlighted the numerous ways that our society must do better for women,” Gascón added, referring to Harvey Weinstein being found guilty of three out of seven charges on Monday

Megan, 27, had accused Lanez of shooting her in the foot after she exited a vehicle they had been riding in following an argument.

"I want him to go to jail,” Megan Thee Stallion told Rolling Stone in a no-holds-barred interview published earlier this year. “I want him to go under the jail.”