Pele was arguably the greatest football of all time - and his tragic death has sent shockwaves around the world.
His dedicated third wife Marcia Aoki was at his bedside when he passed away at the age of 82, sticking with him through a brave but tough cancer battle.
Pele met Marcia, who is 32 years his junior, in the mid 1980s and the pair became reacquainted in 2008. They started dating two years later. However they never publicly confirmed their relationship until they told the world they tied the knot in July 2016.
But speaking in a Netflix film last year, Pele admitted his love life before meeting Marcia was far from straightforward.
while was incredible faithful to his football club, he was the first to admit that loyalty didn't always carry over to his personal life.
In recent years he admitted having many affairs during his first two marriages, but claimed he was "too young" when he tied the knot for the first time.
During the height of his sporting fame, Brazil's World Cup hero admitted making the most of his time in the spotlight and spending a lot of time with his adoring female fans.
During the documentary he was asked if he found it hard to stay faithful. He replied: "In all honesty it was. I’ve had a few affairs, some of which resulted in children. But I only learned about them later."
He adds: "My first wife my first girlfriend knew all about it. I never lied to anyone."
Pele's first marriage was to Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi in February 1966, but the footballer claims he was "too young".
"We had that friendship," says Pele in the documentary. "That passion you feel when you're madly in love - we didn't have any of that."
He also admitted thinking being married to him was difficult, explaining that commercial deals which began to appear outside the world of football involved him travelling the globe.
They had two daughters, Kelly and Jennifer, and son Edinho, but the relationship didn't last and they divorced in 1982.
While they were married, Pele had an affair in 1964 with housemaid Anizia Machado, who gave birth to his daughter Sandra Machado.
However, Sandra fought for years to be recognised by Pele, who refused to submit to DNA tests, writing the book 'The Daughter Pele Never Wanted'.
Sandra launched a lawsuit to force Pele to recognise her, with courts ruling she was his biological daughter based on DNA evidence in 1993.
But Pele still refused to acknowledge Sandra or her two children and did not attend her funeral when she tragically died at the age of just 42 in 2006.
The former footballer had another daughter, Flávia Kurtz, through affair with journalist Lenita Kurtz in 1968, who he does recognise.
Pele's second wife was psychologist and gospel singer Assíria Lemos Seixas, who is the mother of their twins Joshua and Celeste. They married in 1994 but divorced in 2008.
Despite the complications in his personal life, Pele's family were around him as he battled the illness over Christmas.
They shared emotional, personal photos of them hugging and lying on his chest.
Following confirmation of his death, his daughter Kely Nascimento wrote on Instagram : "Everything we are is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace."
Pele suffered from kidney and prostate problems in recent years. He was admitted to Albert Einstein Jewish Hospital in Sao Paulo on November 29, after picking up a respiratory infection and for "re-evaluation of the chemotherapy treatment over colon cancer identified in September 2021," according to an official statement.
