Rita Lee’s children thank fans after emotional farewell

Rita Lee’s three children, Beto, 46, João, 44, and Antônio, 42, made a point of thanking the fans in the final moments of the singer’s funeral, who died on Monday (8) at the age of 75.

One by one, they left the space of the Planetarium at Ibirapuera Park, in São Paulo, where the mother was being veiled for a few moments, this Wednesday (10th), and went to the dozens of people who were singing and applauding the artist.

Making gestures towards his heart, Beto walked the entire length of the railing where the fans gathered and said many thanks. More discreet, but also moved, the younger brothers then appeared to bow to the people who spent hours standing in the final tribute to the rocker.

The part of the wake that was open to the public ended at 5 pm and then the Planetarium was closed for two and a half hours for an intimate moment with family and close friends.

Even so, dozens of fans remained outside, behind security bars, waiting for the coffin to come out for the last goodbye.

People of all ages used this time to sing Rita’s hits, shout thanks and call her Santa Rita de Sampa – the artist’s self-denomination in the song of the same name in which she described herself as “tia tiete do Tietê”, “mother girl of Pompeia” and “pagan goddess of Butantã”.

Around 7:30 pm, the coffin was placed in the hearse, which headed towards one of the park’s exits. A group ran after the vehicle, always chanting and shouting Rita Lee’s name.

Before that, another emotional moment. At 4:30 pm, after a round of singing at the entrance to the Planetarium, the fans decided to enter the wake space again, organized in a line and entitled to just a few seconds in front of the artist’s sealed coffin.

Most had already done the route once or twice, but the final stage was different: they entered singing loudly, cheering and applauding, to the commotion of family members. Many people cried. Rita’s sister, Virginia, sent her kisses.

The singer’s body arrived at the Planetarium around 5 am this Wednesday. Side by side, young people, adults and seniors started singing early in the morning, around 9:30 am. Hits such as “Lança Perfume”, “Ovelha Negra”, “Mania de Você” and “Desculpe o Auê” were repeated tirelessly throughout the day.

The idea of ​​​​holding the wake at the site was Rita’s manager, Silvia Venna. The singer liked extraterrestrial affairs and, in an interview with journalist Pedro Bial, in 2017, she said that she did not believe in airplanes, but in flying saucers.

Inside the Planetarium, as part of the tributes, a projection showed the map of the sky on the day the singer was born: December 31, 1947.

Outside, fans watched the concrete construction inaugurated in 1957, in a shape that resembles a UFO surrounded by trees and the sound of birds. When night fell, colored lights alternated in the dome, in Rita’s last moments with her family. Again, many people cried.

Early this Thursday (11), composer and instrumentalist Roberto de Carvalho, Rita’s widower, shared videos of fans at Rita’s farewell.

“It was beautiful! The most polite, affectionate and kind fans! Mother and father have the best fans in the world”, wrote João Lee, one of the children.