Maria Celeste Rebordão Rodrigues ComIH (14 March 1923 – 1 August 2018) was a Portuguese '' fadista'' (fado singer) and the younger sister of Amália Rodrigues.

Biography

Celeste Rodrigues was born in Fundão in the district of Castelo Branco in Portugal on 14 March 1923. Her family moved to

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

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 (), code-named Operation Historic Turn (), also known as the 25 April (), was a military coup by military officers that overthrew the Estado Novo government on 25 April 1974 in Portugal. The coup produced major socia ...

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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. She commuted for many years between her two residences in Lisbon and

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, 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. Like her sister Amália, Celeste Rodrigues was a monarchist and throughout her life met D. Duarte Nuno of Portugal, as well as the kings of Spain, Holland, and Italy. She said: & Rodrigues died on 1 August 2018, in Lisbon and she was buried in the Artists' Field at Prazeres Cemetery.

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 21st-century Portuguese singers Portuguese fado singers Commanders of the Order of Prince Henry People from Fundão, Portugal Portuguese monarchists