Famous pimp, Dona Cabeluda is watched by thousands of people to the sound of Rita Lee

An unusual character from Recôncavo Baiano, the pimp Renildes Alcântara dos Santos, known as ‘Dona Cabeluda’, was buried last Tuesday (7) in Cachoeira, Bahia. Dead on Monday (6) from a massive heart attack, Dona Cabeluda was the owner of a ‘hell’ with strict rules and, for this reason, ended up being recognized in the local community.

Renildes was born in Itabuna, in the south of Bahia, and lived with violence from an early age. At the age of 12, he ran away from home because of the beatings he suffered. Shortly afterwards, she married a 30-year-old man who also constantly abused her. Tired of the violence, Renildes decided to leave her daughter with her family and separate from her partner.

Initially, Renildes worked selling drinks on the beach. However, shortly after, he started working as an escort in ‘bregas’, which is what the prostitution houses in the Northeast are called. Renildes passed through Aracaju, Feira de Santana and Candeias before living in Cachoeira, a city 120 kilometers from the capital Salvador.

In Cachoeira, Renildes started running a ‘brega’ with strict rules, where confusion, loud music, drug consumption and minors were prohibited. She didn’t even charge the percentage of the escorts who worked there. Because she had long hair and a lot of hair on her body, Renildes ended up being nicknamed Dona Cabeluda, as her ‘tacky’ was also known.

This Tuesday (7), Dona Cabeluda’s body was laid to rest at the Cachoeira City Council. From there, the coffin followed in procession to the cemetery. The journey was followed by thousands of people and also by a speaker playing the song ‘Pagu’, by Rita Lee, which refers to a Brazilian writer who pioneered feminism.