The intimate life of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva gathers marriages, children and new beginnings, but also profoundly painful farewells.
Following his re-election in Brazil, which paves his path toward a fourth term, attention once again falls on the man behind the political figure. In his personal journey appear two widowings, an assembled family, and the death of a seven-year-old grandson. Also, the possibility of once again sharing life with a partner.
Sus orígenes y el lugar de su mamá, Doña Lindu
Lula was born on October 27, 1945 in Caetés, Pernambuco, into a family of rural workers marked by poverty. His mother, Eurídice Ferreira de Melo, known as Doña Lindu, occupied a central place in his childhood.
In 1952, she embarked with her children on a long journey to the state of São Paulo. That move, in search of better opportunities, remains part of the family memories that accompany the leader’s biography.
Maria de Lourdes: la pérdida de su primera esposa y del bebé que esperaban
In 1969, when he was still a young metalworker, Lula married Maria de Lourdes da Silva. The celebration was simple, at his mother’s house.
Two years later, Lourdes fell ill with hepatitis during the pregnancy. She died in 1971, and the baby they were expecting did not survive. Lula was 25 years old.
It was a double loss, occurring long before his arrival at the presidency: the death of his partner and that of the child with whom they imagined starting a family.
Marisa Letícia: más de cuatro décadas de vida compartida
In 1974, Lula remarried. His second wife was Marisa Letícia, who had also become a widow and was the mother of Marcos Cláudio, whom he would later adopt.
Together they had three more children and shared more than four decades. Marisa stood by him from his years as a union leader to his first two presidential terms, during which she served as Brazil’s First Lady.
In January 2017 she suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. She died on February 3, at 66, after remaining hospitalized in São Paulo. Her death closed a partnership of more than 42 years, in which they had built a family and weathered major personal and public transformations.
Janja, la mujer con la que volvió a casarse
Lula’s current wife is sociologist Rosângela da Silva, known as Janja. They had known each other since before their relationship began, which started in 2017 and became public in 2019, while he was imprisoned in Curitiba.
On May 18, 2022 they married in São Paulo, in a ceremony with family and friends. The wedding opened a new chapter in their emotional story, five years after Marisa’s death. Since then, Janja has shared with him both daily life and a large part of his public schedule.
Quiénes son los cinco hijos de Lula da Silva
Lula’s family was built through different bonds. Lurian, born in 1974, is the daughter from his relationship with Miriam Cordeiro.
Joining her is Marcos Cláudio, Marisa Letícia’s son whom Lula adopted. Then arrived the three children they had together: Fábio Luís, known as Lulinha, born in 1975; Sandro Luís, in 1979; and Luís Cláudio, in 1985.
They are five children with their own paths, united by a family history that began long before their father became one of Brazil’s most well-known figures.
Arthur, el nieto al que tuvo que despedir a los 7 años
On March 1, 2019, the family suffered another loss: Arthur Araújo Lula da Silva died at seven years old.
Although it was initially announced that he had died of meningococcal meningitis, later studies ruled out that diagnosis. According to information then released by the Lula Institute, the cause was a generalized infection prompted by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus.
Lula was imprisoned and received judicial clearance to attend the farewell. Amidst a situation of intense public exposure, he had to endure the intimate pain of losing a grandson.
That absence is part of a family history that also contains meetings, births, and years shared. Telling it requires making room for everything: those who died, the bonds that remain, and those who arrived afterward. Without assuming that a new love erases the past or that public life allows knowing a family’s pain in full.
