Who was Felipe Selau? Brazilian soap star found dead at 31

Brazilian soap star Felipe Selau has died. He was 31.

The Sun has reported that the actor, most known for his work on the teen soap Malhação, was discovered at his home in São Paulo on Tuesday. His sister, Priscila Back Selau, confirmed the news to the outlet, though the cause of death remains unclear.

In addition to his role as Paulo on the 2013/2014 season of "Malhação: Sonhos," Felipe Selau also served as the executive producer of a glasses brand called Chilli Beans. Having operated under the stage name Felipe Céu, he started his career as a model and reportedly studied medicine for a while before he began pursuing acting.

Felipe Selau's life and legacy explored as his sister says his cause of death is unclear:

Priscila, a midfielder for Cruzeiro, told the outlet that she flew back to the city to deal with the incident. In an emotional statement, she said of what happened to her brother, affectionately known as “Fê":

“Last week, his boss messaged me on Instagram asking for my number. He immediately called me, asking if I knew anything about Fê because he’d been trying to reach him since the day before and he wasn’t responding. He went to his apartment, knocked, and no one answered.”

A locksmith was beckoned to open the door and his friends entered his apartment, only to find Felipe Selau “drugged, unable to stay awake”.

Priscila added: “I spoke to one of Fê’s friends and gave him permission to go to the flat with a locksmith. When they entered, my brother was lying in bed asleep. He was actually drugged, unable to stay awake. But he gradually got better and returned to normal.”

However, the concerns returned within days:

“This weekend, it happened again,” Priscila said. “On Saturday, he spoke to our mother, was fine, and said he was going to the theatre. But on Sunday, mum couldn’t reach him anymore, and he wasn’t answering messages. I asked the receptionist at his building to knock on his door, and someone answered asking who it was.”

On Monday, The Sun reported that staff confirmed Felipe was seemingly alright, but the following day, he was incommunicado again.

“We called a locksmith again and when he tried to enter, he couldn’t push the door open because my brother was lying on the other side,” Priscila explained. “They called the fire department and the police, and when they arrived, my brother was already dead. They did an examination and found some things in his apartment, including antidepressants, but I don’t know what happened.”

An autopsy is reportedly underway.

Felipe Selau was born in Rio Grande do Sul. Days ahead of his shocking demise, he shared a post on Instagram, a video where he sang and danced to the Chitãozinho & Xororó hit song Alô. In the caption, he penned:

"Videomaker: 'Help me test the audio.' I automatically: ALOOOOO".

He was also known for having participated as a finalist in MasterChef Brasil in 2019, though he also dabbled in music under the stage name Felipe Céu.

Bruna Hamú, who co-starred alongside Felipe Selau in Malhação, reportedly paid her respects in a statement, per G1 Globo:

"Felipe was light. May your art and your memory remain alive."

Stay tuned to SoapCentral for more.

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