Brazil TV star Domingos Montagner drowns on set of soap opera Published duration 16 September 2016

image copyright domingosmontagnerofficial image caption Montagner had been recording an episode of the Velho Chico soap opera

Brazilian soap opera star Domingos Montagner will be buried in his native city of Sao Paulo on Saturday following his tragic death.

He drowned in a river where the crew had been recording scenes for the country's most popular soap opera.

Montagner played the leading role in Velho Chico, a soap opera named after the Sao Francisco river where he died.

The 54-year-old had gone for a swim with an actress after a day of shooting in the north-eastern state of Sergipe.

She said he had been dragged away by the river's strong currents.

The actress, Camila Pitanga, cried for help but local people failed to act initially as they believed the drowning was a scene in the soap opera.

Authorities said there was little that anyone could have done.

In the soap opera, Montagner played a farmer who often fought off local gunmen. In one of those clashes, he was shot multiple times and appeared to drown in the same Sao Francisco river, but reappeared weeks later.

'Dangerous area'

"They thought they had chosen a safe spot to swim but that is one of the most dangerous areas in the town of Caninde and usually avoided by locals," police chief Antonio Francisco Filho told O Globo.

One person, on average, has drowned every year in the town since 2005, reports say.

image copyright Instagram/@angelicaksy image caption TV presenter Angelica Huck wrote on Instagram: "I can't believe it - an incredible actor and human being. May God give light and peace to his family"

Four hours after the incident, rescue teams found Montagner's body trapped in rocks at a depth of 18 metres (59 feet) and some 300 metres (984ft) from where he was last seen, according to Globo's G1 website.

Forensic experts in Sergipe state confirmed he had died by drowning.

His body will be taken by plane to Sao Paulo, where his funeral will be held on Saturday.

Scriptwriter Benedito Ruy Barbosa says he will write a tribute for Montagner in the final episodes of Velho Chico.

"I'd never had such a big shock in my life," he said. "We can't forget the soap opera, which goes on, but we must pay tribute to the great person Domingos was."

'Life imitates art'

Montagner was born in Sao Paulo and had a career in the circus before becoming a television actor, in 2008.

This was his 12th role on TV. His first significant soap opera role was in 2011, and he had his film debut in 2012.

A soap opera affair

Soap operas, or novelas, are traditionally some of the most-watched TV programmes in Brazil, and are broadcast in dozens of other countries

The main time slot, at 21:00 on Globo TV, is watched, on average, by 50% of the viewing public

In key moments that number can reach up to 80%

In 2012 Globo said one of its most successful soap operas was watched by 38m people daily

Viewership has declined in recent years mainly because of paid TV channels and new viewing habits

Each episode reportedly costs up to 800,000 reais ($242,000; £183,000) to make

And a 30-second commercial break at a final episode can cost 500,000 reais ($151,000; £114,000)

Montagner had been married for 14 years to actress Luciana Lima, with whom he had three children.

The news of his death has caused commotion in Brazil, where fellow actors and social media users have paid tributes to the actor.

image copyright Twitter - @ligiafreitass image caption This user said on Twitter: "I can't get the death of Domingos Montagner out of my head. An entire soap opera dedicated to a river that, in the end, takes (the life of) its main character"

image copyright Twitter - @GenteFizTwiter image caption Also on Twitter, this user wrote: "Good people die early. It has always been like this"

image copyright Twitter - @uolbieber image caption And this user said: "Paul Walker and Domingos Montagner are the definition of the sentence: life imitates art"

The football team he supported, Corinthians, praised him also for his success as a handball player for the club's affiliate in the 1980s.

His latest film, Um Namorado Para Minha Mulher (A Boyfriend For My Wife), was released two weeks ago.

Related Topics Brazil