SANTOS, Brazil (Reuters) - The Brazilian coastal city of Santos, which sporting giant Pele turned into a byword for soccer brilliance during a glittering club career, prepared to bid goodbye to its hero on Monday with a 24-hour wake.
A memorial will be held for Pele, who died on Thursday at the age of 82 after battling colon cancer, at the Vila Belmiro stadium, the home of Santos Football Club.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento - Pele's given name - was born in 1940 in the small country town of Tres Coracoes, but moved to Santos in 1956 and lived there for most of his life. Pele's body arrived under fireworks in Santos - a city of about 430,000 people - in the early hours of Monday from Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein Hospital. On Tuesday, a procession carrying his coffin will pass through the streets of Santos, ending at the Ecumenical Memorial Necropolis cemetery, where he will be buried in a private ceremony.
Several authorities are expected to attend the memorial, including newly sworn-in Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin - a longtime Santos supporter - and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
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