Lua Blanco, the Brazilian actress and singer who rose to fame as Roberta Messi in the teen drama Rebelde, died in Rio de Janeiro on October 18, 2026. She was 39. Her brother, Daniel Blanco, announced her death on Instagram. She had been diagnosed with intestinal cancer only about two months earlier, according to her aunt, who spoke to Brazilian media.
Roberta Messi and the Rebeldes
Blanco became a household name in Brazil playing Roberta Messi in Rebelde, the Record network’s version of the hit Latin American franchise about students at an elite boarding school, which aired from 2011 to 2012. Like the Mexican original, the show spun off a real pop group: Blanco sang with the band Rebeldes alongside five of her castmates, touring and recording for a devoted young audience who followed the characters off screen.
A short illness
Her family kept her illness private. Reports in the Brazilian press said the cancer was already advanced when it was found, and that she was treated in Rio de Janeiro in the weeks before her death. News of her death prompted an outpouring of messages from fans and fellow cast members of Rebelde, many of whom had grown up watching her.
Farewell
A private wake for relatives and close friends was held on October 19 at the Memorial do Carmo in Rio de Janeiro.