Roberto Carlos — The King of Brazilian Music's Three Marriages and Two Divorces
With 140 million albums sold, the King of Brazilian Music navigated love and loss across three marriages.
Key Facts
What Happened
Roberto Carlos Braga — known simply as Roberto Carlos — is the best-selling Latin American recording artist in history, with over 140 million albums sold worldwide. His romantic life has been as eventful as his musical career, spanning three marriages across three decades. His first marriage, to Cleonice Rossi Martinelli in 1968, required the couple to travel to Bolivia for the ceremony because Cleonice was separated and Brazil had no divorce law at the time.
The marriage produced four children — Roberto Carlos Braga II, Ana Paula, Rafael, and Luciana — before ending in divorce in 1979, coincidentally the same year Brazil finally passed its divorce law. His second marriage, to actress Myrian Rios in 1980, lasted nine years but produced no children, ending in 1989. Both divorces were handled relatively quietly by Brazilian celebrity standards.
His third and final marriage was to Maria Rita Simões in 1996. This union was marked by tragedy rather than divorce — in 1998, Maria Rita was diagnosed with cancer, and she passed away in December 1999. Her death devastated Roberto Carlos so profoundly that he canceled his traditional year-end television special on Rede Globo and, in 2001, broke his longstanding contract with Sony Records.
Roberto Carlos's story illustrates how divorce law itself can evolve over a person's lifetime. When he first married, Brazil had no legal mechanism for divorce at all, forcing couples to cross borders to formalize their unions and separations. By the time of his later relationships, the legal landscape had fundamentally changed. His experience is a reminder that marriage and divorce are not just personal matters but deeply shaped by the legal framework of the time and place.
Legal Breakdown: Serial marriages and evolving financial obligations
Evolving Divorce Law
When Roberto Carlos first married in 1968, Brazil had no divorce law whatsoever. The couple had to marry in Bolivia because Cleonice was separated. Brazil did not legalize divorce until 1977, meaning millions of Brazilians were trapped in marriages they could not legally dissolve.
Multiple Divorces and Financial Complexity
Each subsequent marriage and divorce creates additional financial obligations. Alimony, child support, and property division from earlier marriages must be balanced against obligations from later ones. Serial marriages multiply the complexity of estate planning and financial management.
Death vs. Divorce — Different Legal Outcomes
Roberto Carlos's third marriage ended through death rather than divorce, which creates entirely different legal consequences. A surviving spouse typically inherits under estate law, while a divorced spouse's financial relationship is governed by the divorce settlement. The distinction has enormous financial implications.
What This Means for Your Divorce
- →Understand how local divorce laws affect your rights — they vary dramatically by country and era.
- →Multiple marriages require careful estate planning to protect all parties involved.
- →Update wills, beneficiaries, and insurance policies after every major relationship change.
- →The distinction between widowhood and divorce has profound financial and legal consequences.
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This article is based on publicly available court records, news reports, and legal analysis. It is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this content.
Divorce laws vary by jurisdiction. Always consult a licensed attorney in your area before making legal decisions.