A former The Voice star has died aged 51 after a two-year battle with cancer.
Karina Zeviani died on Thursday night (1 October) in a hospital in São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
The singer had been battling breast cancer, which later spread to her liver and bones.
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Born in Jaboticabal, Karina shot to fame in Brazil after appearing on The Voice Brasil in 2020, stunning the judges during the blind auditions.
But she had already enjoyed a remarkable international career long before her TV appearance.
She joined American electronic music collective Thievery Corporation in 2005 after being recommended by Talking Heads frontman David Byrne.
Three years later, she became one of the vocalists for French group Nouvelle Vague.
The versatile singer also lived in London, New York, Paris and Germany, and performed at the prestigious Nublu club in Manhattan.
She eventually returned to Brazil and released her only solo album, Amor Inventado, in 2012.
Karina had previously worked as a model, but eventually walked away from the career after growing tired of the pressure to conform to the industry’s strict beauty standards.
Childhood friend Rodrigo Villela remembered her as “a person full of sparkle” who always stood out.
Karina had openly documented her cancer battle on social media, as reported by Need To Know.
In her final post on 20 September, she revealed she was about to begin intravenous chemotherapy and was upset at the prospect of losing her hair again.
Fans rushed to support her, with one writing: “You’re going to be great and beautiful as always.”
Her funeral was held in Jaboticabal on Friday (2 October).
Rob Garza and Eric Hilton of Thievery Corporation wrote: “She was a beautiful, talented and truly lovely soul, with an aura and vibrance that were impossible to forget.”
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