The first Brazilian Miss Universe champion, Ieda Maria Vargas, died this Monday (22), at the age of 80. Winner of the international competition in 1963, the former model was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Arcanjo São Miguel Hospital, in Gramado (RS). The information was revealed by his daughter, Fernanda Vargas, and published by g1. However, the cause of death has not yet been detailed.
Ieda was born in Porto Alegre on December 31, 1944. When she was just 18 years old, she became a symbol of beauty in the country when she made history as Brazil’s representative in the hotly contested Miss Universe pageant, which brings together models from around the world. She won the crown at this edition, held in Miami, United States, beating 49 other competitors.
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At the time, the model was gloriously welcomed in Brazil by an enthusiastic crowd who awaited her arrival and was honored at events in Rio de Janeiro and her hometown. In Brasilia, Ieda was also received with great fanfare by the president at the time, João Goulart.
In 1968, Ieda married businessman José Carlos Athanázio, with whom she had two children. Throughout her life, the model opted for a more reserved life, appearing publicly on a few occasions.
Call for the “Pink Panther”
Ieda was first recognized for her beauty in 1962, when she was 17, as the Swimming Pool Queen of Rio Grande do Sul. Next came the titles of Miss Porto Alegre and Miss Rio Grande do Sul. On June 22, 1963, she was elected Miss Brazil, during a competition organized at the Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, in the northern zone of Rio, and broadcast on the now defunct TV Tupi.
The Miss Universe title was won on July 20 of the same year. Until then, Brazil had only three second-place finishes in Brazil, in the previous decade, with Martha Rocha, Terezinha Morango and Adalgisa Colombo.
English actor Peter Sellers was a decisive factor in the victory. As one of the judges, he gave top marks to Ieda’s three shows, which saw her outperform another favorite, Miss Denmark Aino Korva.
After the competition, Sellers even suggested that Ieda pursue a career in film and star in his next film, “The Pink Panther.” The film directed by Blake Edwards will become one of the great successes of the career of the actor, who played the clumsy Inspector Clouseau, his best-known character. But Leda rejected the invitation, saying she simply wanted to return to Porto Alegre after her term, get married and have children.
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