Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva

Contents

Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva (née Casa;[1][2] 7 April 1950 – 3 February 2017) was the second wife of the 35th and 39th president of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva,[3] and First Lady of Brazil from 2003 to 2011.

Biography

Marisa Letícia Casa da Silva was born in São Bernardo do Campo[4] as the tenth child in a working-class family of Italian descent.[5] She worked as a caregiver from the age of nine onwards, and later in a chocolate factory from the age of fourteen.[4]

In 1970, da Silva married her first husband Marcos Cláudio dos Santos, with whom she had one child.[6] That same year, her husband died during a robbery assault.[4]

In May 1974, da Silva married Lula da Silva, whom she had met the prior year. They had three sons together.[4] Described as an "activist in her own right" and a "close advisor to Lula", she led the campaign for her husband's release after the military regime jailed him for his involvement in the 1978–1980 strike wave.[5] However, da Silva was later seen as a "private person" who rarely gave interviews.[4]

On 24 January 2017, Marisa Letícia da Silva suffered a stroke. She died ten days later on 3 February, at the age of 66 at Sírio-Libanês Hospital.[7][8] President Michel Temer declared three days of official mourning.[9] She was cremated the next day. Her ashes were interred in the Cemitério Jardim da Colina, in her native São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo.[10]

Awards and decorations

  • Denmark: Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog (12 September 2007)
  • Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Christ (5 March 2008); Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty (23 July 2003)
  • Netherlands: Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (10 April 2008)
  • Norway: Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (7 October 2003)
  • Spain: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
  • Sweden: Member Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star

References

  1. 1."FamilySearch.org". ancestors.familysearch.org. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  2. 2."Marriage record". FamilySearch.
  3. 3.East, Roger; Thomas, Richard (5 August 2003). Profiles of people in power: the world's government leaders. Psychology Press. pp. 68–. ISBN 978-1-85743-126-1. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  4. 4.[4.2][4.3][4.4][4.5]John D. French (2020). Lula and His Politics of Cunning; From Metalworker to President of Brazil, London: Zed Books, pp. 184-185.
  5. 5.[5.2]Pagliarini, Andre (2025). Lula: A People's President and the Fight for Brazil's Future. Cambridge: Polity. p. 17. ISBN 9781509560240.
  6. 6."Death record". FamilySearch.
  7. 7."Dona Marisa, ex-primeira-dama, morre em SP - Notícias - Política". G1. 3 February 2017.
  8. 8."Brazil's former first lady, central to the rise and fall of a president, dies at 66". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 3 February 2017.
  9. 9."Temer decreta luto oficial de três dias por morte de Marisa Letícia". Agência Brasil. 3 February 2017.
  10. 10."Corpo de Marisa Letícia é cremado em São Bernardo do Campo". Veja.