Preta Gil, singer, actress, presenter, and businesswoman, died this Sunday at the age of 50 due to cancer. The information was confirmed by her press office. Preta spent the last weeks in the United States, where she was trying an experimental treatment for the disease.

Daughter of singer and songwriter Gilberto Gil, she faced almost two years battling intestinal cancer, which led her to surgeries and tests in Brazil and, ultimately, treatment in the United States. The courageous and transparent way Preta dealt with the disease moved Brazil. "I know I made the right choice in sharing my vulnerabilities and my sufferings with people. But with my head held high, as it always has been, since the beginning," she said when she won the GLOBO's Faz Diferença Award in 2024.

Preta Maria Gadelha Gil Moreira was diagnosed in January 2023 with adenocarcinoma, an intestinal cancer. After surgery and treatments of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the singer announced that the disease was in remission. In August 2024, however, she went public to say that the cancer had returned in different parts of her body: two tumors in the lymph nodes, a nodule in the ureter, and metastasis in the peritoneum.

Also in August 2024, Preta Gil celebrated her 50th birthday with a party for 700 people in one of the warehouses in the Port Zone of Rio, featuring performances by the band Psirico and singer Ludmilla. At the same time, she launched her autobiography, 'Preta Gil: os primeiros 50' (Globo Livros), in which she recounts her battle against cancer and the end of her eight-year marriage to producer Rodrigo Godoy in 2023, after discovering that he had cheated on her while she was undergoing cancer treatment.

In December, she underwent surgery that lasted more than 18 hours to remove tumors spread throughout her body.

Treatment in the USA

In May 2025, Preta Gil traveled to the United States, where she had a consultation at the Virginia Cancer Institute in Washington to see if she could join groups of patients receiving innovative treatments. She then traveled to New York for tests at the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, an institution that is a worldwide reference in cancer treatment and research. Friends and family took turns in the American city to accompany the singer, who continued posting parts of her routine on her social media. "Another dose," she wrote in one of the photos.

In a participation on the show 'Domingão com Huck', on TV Globo, Preta had spoken about the idea of continuing her treatment abroad. "I am grateful to go through all this being able to treat myself with dignity. I am entering a difficult phase. In Brazil, we have already done everything we could, now my chance of healing is abroad, and that's where I'm going," she said at the time.

First album in 2013

Preta Gil released her first album, 'Prêt-à-porter', in 2003, when her father was Minister of Culture in Lula's first government, with a repertoire blending pop, MPB, samba, and funk. On the cover and in the CD booklet, she was nude. In light of the controversy caused by the photos, she said in an interview with Fernanda Young that the uproar wouldn't have happened if she had been thin. From that moment on, Preta became a reference for female self-acceptance, positioning herself against aesthetic pressure for thinness or physical standards.

The second album, 'Preta', came two years later, followed by the tour and the DVD 'Noite Preta'. In 2010, she hosted the talk show 'Vai e vem', discussing sex on the GNT channel. Her third album, 'Sou como sou', was released in 2012. The following year, she celebrated ten years of her career with the recording of the DVD 'Bloco da Preta', featuring Lulu Santos, Ivete Sangalo, Anitta, Israel Novaes, and Thiaguinho. The third album, 'Todas as cores', came in 2017.

In 2009, the singer launched Bloco da Preta, which quickly became a success at the Rio de Janeiro carnival and, ten years later, debuted in São Paulo. Bisexual, she was seen as a symbol of empowerment by the LGBTQIA+ community.

In parallel with her music career, Preta participated in soap operas such as 'Caminhos do coração' (2007) and 'Os Mutantes' (2008) on Record. She also acted in the series 'As cariocas' (2010) and the soap opera 'Cheias de charme' (2012) on TV Globo; in addition to films such as 'Billi Pig' (2011), 'Crô em família' (2018), and 'Filho da mãe' (2022).

Besides music and soap operas, Preta Gil also dedicated herself to business. In 2017, she founded Mynd, alongside Fátima Pissarra and Carlos Scappini. The company specializes in music, influencer marketing, and entertainment.

Autobiography

In August 2024, Preta released her autobiography, 'Preta Gil: os primeiros 50', through Globo Livros. "I lived many highs and lows; it wasn't a fake life. It was lived with all the good and bad," she told GLOBO at the time of the launch. The book does not follow a chronological order: it begins with her accounts of discovering cancer. It also recalls her childhood in Rio, at an elite school, her first love experiences — with women and men —, the car accident that killed her brother Pedro in 1990, her success as a young producer, and the day she gave herself completely to posing nude for the cover of her first album, 'Prêt-à porter', in 2003.

— With the album, I had a very strong understanding that it wasn't the world of 'Preta in the Land of Tropicália'. There were people who thought differently from me, who raised their children differently than my parents, with prejudices, moralism, racism, fatphobia, machismo — she said in the interview. — I had to start dealing with reality, with people who judged me, hated me. That was a shock, but I faced it, I still face it today, and I have been overcoming, I think.

Godmother Gal Costa has always been a safe haven for her since she was little. "My godmother has always been a great passion. And more than my father, I wanted to be behind her," recalls Preta in her autobiography.

— In childhood and adolescence, I was very close to her. In adulthood, we met very sporadically. But starting in 2017, when we recorded the song 'Vá se benzer', we became real friends, exchanging ideas, calling each other to see how things were — she stated.

Personal life

Daughter of Gilberto Gil and Sandra Gadelha, Preta married actor Otávio Muller, the father of her only child, Francisco Gadelha Gil Moreira Muller de Sá. Her second marriage was to diver Carlos Henrique de Lima. Between 2015 and 2023, she was married to personal trainer Rodrigo Godoy, a relationship that ended during her treatment for cancer.

Preta Gil identified as bisexual, never hid that she had had relationships with women, and was an advocate for the rights of LGBTQIA+ people.