Hebe Camargo dies at 83

Saturday, September 29, 2012 

Presenter Hebe Camargo died in the early hours of today (29), while sleeping. According to the press office, Hebe was at her home, in the Morumbi neighborhood, in the capital of São Paulo, when she suffered respiratory arrest. She was 83 years old and had been suffering from peritoneal cancer since the beginning of 2010.

São Paulo-based presenter Hebe Camargo began her career as a singer, then became an actress, and eventually established herself as a television host. Possessing her own unique style, Hebe established a spontaneous, humorous, and daring approach to Brazilian television. She also became a fashion icon, never denying her appreciation for luxury, wearing flashy and expensive jewelry. In recent years, Hebe has been battling cancer. In 2010, she had a tumor removed from her stomach, but nodules were identified, diagnosed as a rare and difficult-to-treat type of peritoneal cancer. In the following years, she underwent gallbladder removal surgery and was hospitalized again in July. At the beginning of her singing career, Hebe formed the duo Rosalinda and Florisbela with her sister Stella. Initially, the duo’s style was country music. Later, Hebe began performing sambas and boleros in nightclubs. Hebe participated in the inauguration of television in Brazil. She worked at the now-defunct TV Tupi in São Paulo, and one of her highlights was a duet she performed with singer Ivon Curi. Her television debut came in 1955, on Brazil’s first women’s program, “O Mundo É das Mulheres.” She subsequently worked for TV Continental, TV Record, and SBT, among others. During the Jovem Guarda era, in the 1960s, Hebe collaborated on the launch of Roberto Carlos, Wanderléa and Ronnie Von, whom she nicknamed Príncipe.