Venezuelan soccer defender Héctor Bello's wife Andrea died while shielding their 20-month-old daughter Alana during earthquakes that struck the country on June 25. According to E! Online, she was found dead in the rubble after the twin 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes killed over 900 people, according to the Associated Press. Alana survived the collapse of the building where the family lived.
The 28-year-old footballer announced the loss in a June 26 Instagram tribute, writing: "You'll always be our favorite hero, Mommy."
"I'm going to make sure our baby remembers how wonderful you were, how much you loved her," Héctor shared. "I'll tell her the story of how you saved her, how you gave your own life for our daughter, how you were a brave woman who, even with your last breaths, never abandoned her, Mommy."
In a follow-up message to his infant daughter—born in October 2024—Héctor wrote about his grief: "I need you to be strong. Just wait a little longer. I need you to be the one to heal my heart, which is in pieces."
He vowed to carry on Andrea's legacy. "I know Andrea will give me strength," he said, and added: "I know that if she had a minute to say something to me, she would tell me to protect you with my life like she did, and not to forget to always buy you the bananas you love so much."
