Pele, the Brazilian soccer legend who led his nation to a record-setting three World Cup titles, died Thursday. He was 82.

Pele dominated the 1960s and 1970s, rivaled only by Muhammad Ali as the world's most popular and recognizable athlete.

The announcement of his death came after recent reports of complications from a yearlong battle with colon cancer. Pele's death was confirmed by his daughter Kely Nascimento on Instagram.

Forever cemented as one of soccer's greatest stars, Edson Arantes do Nascimento dominated "the beautiful game," combining a mixture of skill and personality to push the sport forward around the globe.

Pele became the World Cup's youngest scorer in 1958 when he bagged a goal against Wales at just 17, a precursor for his record-setting career. Pele had stood atop Brazil's goal-scoring leaderboard but was recently passed by current superstar Neymar during the 2022 World Cup. The two remained tied at 77 goals.

Sir Bobby Charlton, the Manchester United legend and member of England's 1966 FIFA World Cup-winning team, said of Pele: "I sometimes feel as though football was invented for this magical player."

Pele accomplished feats no Brazilian has approached, including helping his country win the World Cup in 1958, 1962, and 1970.

Pele's fast yet graceful pace made his dribbles seem both accidental and deliberate, and his career is rivaled only by the greatest, including the late Diego Maradona, and current superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Pele starred for Sao Paolo-based Santos and during his career resisted numerous offers to play in Europe, citing his loyalty to Brazil. He carried Brazil to soccer's greatest heights and became a global ambassador for his sport in a journey that involved him shining shoes to buy soccer equipment and kicking around a makeshift soccer ball.

Carried off the field by his teammates following the 1958 World Cup final, Pele earned the moniker "The King" among his countrymen following his two-goal performance in the match.

Limited by injury and only playing in two matches during the 1962 tournament, Pele recaptured glory in 1970, scoring in the final and assisting the final goal on his way to victory over Italy.

Pele's presence loomed so large that it initiated a cease-fire during Nigeria's brutal civil war in 1969, pausing the violence to allow for both sides to witness his gift on the pitch.

Born into poverty in Brazil's Minas Gerais state on Oct. 23, 1940, Pele signed with Santos at age 15. His father was a local soccer player and young Pele — at first nicknamed Dico — began playing the game with whatever he could make, including grapefruits and wads of newspaper crumpled inside a sock.

Often taunted with monkey chants by fans at home and abroad, Pele was Brazil's first modern Black icon, yet he rarely spoke out against the racism that infected his home.

"I was just a normal person who was granted the gift of being a football player," Pele said in a 2021 documentary. "But I am absolutely certain that I have done much more for Brazil through football in my own way than many politicians who are paid to do so have done."

Pele had planned to retire after playing his final game for Santos in 1974. But at the age of 35, the deeply indebted legend agreed to a $7 million contract to play the final three seasons of his professional career with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League.

Pele and the Cosmos played a key role in building soccer's U.S. profile and popularity, routinely filling 80,000 seats in what was then Giants Stadium to near capacity, before playing his final season in 1977. He led the Cosmos to the league title that year and scored 64 goals in three seasons.

Pele, who held the title of Brazil's minister of sport, spent many of his years after retirement serving as an ambassador for the game he loved. He met with celebrities like Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol and received invitations to the White House from Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan.

Reagan famously told Pele, "My name is Ronald Reagan, I'm the president of the United States of America. But you don't need to introduce yourself because everyone knows who Pele is."

As his health deteriorated, his travels and appearances became less frequent. He was often seen in a wheelchair during his final years and did not attend a ceremony to unveil a statue of him representing Brazil's 1970 World Cup team.

Aside from his marvelous skills on the pitch, Pele's enduring personality and self-awareness helped him capture the hearts of millions around the globe.

Once asked if his fame compared to that of Jesus Christ, Pele reportedly responded, "There are parts of the world where Jesus Christ is not so well known."

Married three times, Pele has seven known offspring: Sandra Machado, whom he refused to acknowledge even after a court-ordered DNA test proved that she was his daughter; Kelly, 55; Edinho, 51; Jennifer, 43; twins Joshua and Celeste, 25; and Flavia Kurtz, 53.

In the 2021 Netflix documentary named after him, Pele admitted to having so many extramarital affairs that he was unsure of how many children he truly had.

Pele had surgery to remove a colon tumor in September 2021 and had been battling complications from the diagnosis for months.

Some of soccer's best players and international leaders paid tribute to Pele on Twitter.

Soccer