Brazilian actor and director Roney Facchini was mourned by fellow television stars at his wake in São Paulo on Monday night, following his death at age 73.
Facchini died on Sunday, with his passing officially confirmed by the Bibi Ferreira Award, one of the premier accolades in Brazilian musical theatre.
Colleagues gathered to say their final goodbyes at the service in São Paulo, with well-known Brazilian actors Ângela Dip, Juan Alba, and Vera Zimmermann attending to pay their respects to the late star.
Tributes from fellow performers
Artists and co-stars took to social media following the announcement to express their sorrow and honour Facchini's memory.
Actress Marisa Orth paid tribute to Facchini on Instagram, writing that she had lost a friend and that Brazil had lost an immense actor and a stupendous comedian. Orth described him as the funniest among their circle of performers.
Fellow actress Grace Gianoukas posted a photograph of herself alongside Facchini, declaring that love, respect, and admiration for him would be eternal. She wrote that he was now expanding energy, thanking him for everything, and extending her deep affection to all his family and friends.
Career in Brazilian theatre and television
Born in São Paulo on February 6, 1953, Facchini built a career spanning several decades as both an actor and a director, working across diverse fields of Brazilian drama and performance.
He was best known nationally for his roles in popular television productions, including the acclaimed children's programme Rá-Tim-Bum and the hit telenovela Cheias de Charme. Rá-Tim-Bum, produced by São Paulo public broadcaster TV Cultura, became an enduring cultural institution for generations of young viewers, while the 2012 musical telenovela Cheias de Charme reached vast audiences across Brazil on TV Globo.
The Bibi Ferreira Award, which confirmed his passing, is widely recognized as Brazil's most prestigious annual honour for musical theatre, named after the iconic stage actress and singer Bibi Ferreira. The tributes from his peers reflected Facchini's long-standing reputation as one of the country's most respected stage and screen actors.
