A star actress from a hit teen soap has died of cancer aged 39.
Lua Maria Blanco passed away after a private battle with the disease on Sunday (18 Oct).
Family members confirmed the news on social media, saying she passed away in peace while surrounded by love.
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Her brother Daniel said she had been fighting cancer in her final months and was with her family members and friends until the end.
“She left in peace, filled with love and with the full faith that she was going straight into the hands of God,” the siblings wrote in a joint statement.
“She will be with us forever, illuminating us with her strong eternal light.”
Her sister Ana Terra added: “Life is a breath. I love you, sister. You live on in us forever.”
Lua, who died at the National Cancer Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, had kept her advanced intestinal cancer diagnosis private after it was discovered about three months earlier.
She underwent chemotherapy and surgery and shared details only with loved ones, as reported by Need To Know.
Her condition worsened sharply in the final week.
A private wake is taking place at the Vertical Memorial do Carmo Cemetery in Rio today (19 Oct).
Blanco became known in 2011 for playing Roberta Messi in the Brazilian version of the hit teen soap Rebelde and as a singer with the group Rebeldes.
Mexican actress Dulce María, who played the same role in the original series, said she was completely in shock after meeting and recording with her.
“I’m so sorry. Fly high, beautiful Lua,” she wrote.
Former co-star and ex-boyfriend Arthur Aguiar posted a photo of their last meeting and said: “I’m glad that while we were both still alive we had the chance to talk and say everything.
“May God receive you with open arms and comfort the hearts of those left behind.”
Lua also appeared in other television roles and released the solo album Mão no Sonho in 2016.
Born in São Paulo, she came from a musical family as the daughter of Billy Blanco Jr and musician Maria Claudia Blanco, and granddaughter of bossa nova pioneer Billy Blanco.
She had been with her long-term partner, screenwriter Leandro Soares, since 2016.
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