Beauty influencer Maria Rita Rodrigues da Silva dies age 25 after 'sudden illness' as family pay tribute
A 25-year-old beauty and fashion social media star has died after a medical emergency.
Maria Rita Rodrigues da Silva, who simply went by the name Maria Rita online, died on Saturday (February 21), her family has announced.
Her parents shared the news with a statement online. They wrote: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved daughter Maria Rita.”
In a separate post, they added: “Unfortunately, Maria suffered a sudden illness and left us”, but no further details have been announced. Her official cause of death is not known.
Maria, from São Bernardo do Campo in Brazil, had more than 65,000 followers on TikTok and also more than 11,000 on Instagram. She was known for posting beauty and fashion content, including reviews and tutorials with popular make-up products. She also posted selfies and photos of her travels, including trips to Peru and Uruguay.
Her friend Lígia wrote a tribute to her online in the comments section of the statement her parents posted: “She was always such a lovely person during her time with me in the sewing and pattern-making studio at Fine Arts. I'm so very sorry,” she said.
Another friend and fellow content creator, Luana Lilian, said in her own tribute on Instagram that the late influencer was a “charming person” and “one of those presences that effortlessly illuminate a room.”
She added: “To the family, I send my most sincere and heartfelt embrace. May you find strength in the love she planted in every person who had the privilege of knowing her. Her light remains in every memory, in every story told, in every life she touched — including mine.”
A third friend, Lívia, said that the pair had been in the studio together the day before she died, indicating futher just how sudden her illness was. She added that the two had made plans together. “Not even 24 hours later you were gone,” she wrote. “It was 10 years of a friendship that will never be the same again, you were the sister I never had.”
Maria appeared to last update her onw social media account on Thursday (February 19), just two days before her death — to show off a new pair of sunglasses.