Maria Celeste Rebordão Rodrigues
ComIH (14 March 1923 – 1 August 2018) was a Portuguese ''
fadista'' (fado singer) and the younger sister of
Amália Rodrigues
Amália da Piedade Rebordão Rodrigues GCSE, GCIH (23 July 1920 – 6 October 1999), better known as Amália Rodrigues () or popularly as Amália, was a Portuguese '' fadista'' (fado singer) and actress.
Known as the 'Rainha do Fado' ("Queen ...
.
Biography
Celeste Rodrigues was born in
Fundão in the district of
Castelo Branco in Portugal on the 14th of March, 1923. Her family moved to
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
when she was five years old. She started work in a cake factory, and subsequently she and her sister Amalia worked in a shop that sold regional produce. Soon discovered by the impresario José Miguel, who heard her sing and insisted she turn professional. By the age of 22 she was appearing regularly at the Casablanca (now the
Teatro ABC). At 25, she met the actor
Varela Silva whom she later married; they had two daughters.
After
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution ( pt, Revolução dos Cravos), also known as the 25 April ( pt, 25 de Abril, links=no), was a military coup by left-leaning military officers that overthrew the authoritarian Estado Novo regime on 25 April 1974 in Lisbo ...
in 1974, Rodrigues went to Canada for six months, where her only marriage to actor Varela Silva ended in divorce; then she moved to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. She commuted for many years between her two residences in Lisbon and
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, where her two daughters live.
Although she did not achieve nearly as comprehensive a career as her sister, Rodrigues was able to achieve substantial fame in her own right (especially in Portugal itself) with recordings such as ''Lenda das Algas'' (Legend of the Seaweed), ''Já é tarde'' (It is already late) and the emblematic ''Fado Celeste'' achievements.
Rodrigues sang a traditional style of fado, as opposed to the modern style of fado that her sister sang. In 2018, she was the oldest fado singer in the world, continuing to sing at age 95.
Rodrigues died on 1 August 2018, in Lisbon and she was buried in the Artists' Field at
Prazeres Cemetery
Prazeres Cemetery ( pt, Cemitério dos Prazeres) is one of the largest cemeteries in Lisbon, Portugal; it is located in the '' freguesia'' (civil parish) of Estrela, in western Lisbon (formerly, within the parish of Prazeres). It is considered ...
.
Discography
* 2007 ''Fado Celeste''
(CD, CoastCompany)
Compilations
* 1995 ''O Melhor dos Melhores'' n.º 55
(CD, Movieplay)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodrigues, Celeste
1923 births
2018 deaths
20th-century Portuguese women singers
21st-century Portuguese women singers
Portuguese fado singers
Commanders of the Order of Prince Henry
People from Fundão, Portugal