Pele's mother is unaware that her son, the world-famous soccer legend, has died, as per his sister.

Pele's lone surviving brother has yet to inform Celeste, who recently turned 100 and is being cared for by her daughter Maria Lucia do Nascimento, that her famous footballer son has succumbed to colon cancer. Her house is thought to be on the route chosen by funeral organizers before the football legend is laid to rest in the world's tallest cemetery.

“We chat, but she doesn't know the circumstances,” Maria said in an interview in her home country. "She is lost in her own universe."

"She opens her eyes when I mention his name and say, 'We're going to pray for him' but she's not really conscious of what I'm saying."

Pele died on December 28 at the age of 82 in Sao Paolo's Albert Einstein Hospital from multiple organ failure following his protracted battle with colon cancer.

Following three days of formal mourning, Pele will be buried on Tuesday in a 14-story cemetery in the center of Santos, where he spent the majority of his club football career.