Soccer star Pele, Brazilian legend of the beautiful game, dies at 82

FILE PHOTO: Brazilian soccer legend and honorary ambassador for the 2014 World Cup Pele smiles during a news conference ahead of the preliminary draw in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 29, 2011. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Pele, the legendary Brazilian soccer player who rose from barefoot poverty to become one of the greatest and best-known athletes in modern history, died on Thursday at the age of 82.

Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein hospital, where Pele was undergoing treatment, said he died at 3:27 p.m. "due to multiple organ failures resulting from the progression of colon cancer associated with his previous medical condition."