It has been four years, on December 5, that Sara, the daughter of singer Tony Carreira, died in a terrible car accident. Found guilty of negligent homicide, Ivo Lucas, her ex-boyfriend, who was driving the vehicle, is trying to turn the page and has just released a very evocative song. At the same time, the wounded father, 61 years old today, spoke up to say some moving words.
Tony Carreira inconsolable 4 years after the loss of his daughter, Sara’s ex continues his career in music…
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It was four years ago already. On December 5, 2020, around 7 p.m., an improbable combination of circumstances coupled with serious offenses would cause the tragic loss of Sara, the daughter of the famous Portuguese singer Tony Carreira, who turns 61 on December 30, 2024.
Night had already fallen that evening on the A1 motorway, near Lisbon, and visibility was even more reduced as it rained. In the right lane, a vehicle is driving zigzagging at less than 50 km/h, below the speed limit in Portugal. Analyzes will later show that its driver, Paulo Neves, has a blood alcohol level twice as high than the accepted limit!
The first accident occurs when Cristina Branco, a fado singer, crashes her Volvo into the drunk driver’s vehicle. After spinning, his car ends up in the center lane of the highway. No doubt fearing another accident, the artist, accompanied by her daughter, turns on her hazard lights, and they both quickly leave the passenger compartment of the Volvo. without taking the trouble to follow the usual rulesnamely to report the accident, in particular by installing the famous safety triangle.
Sara, Tony Carreira’s daughter, dies instantly
Around ten vehicles manage to avoid his SUV. It was then that the big Range Rover appeared behind them driven by singer Ivo Lucas. By his side he has his sweetheart, Sara Carreira, the daughter of the famous singer Tony Carreira. The investigation will show that he too is in infraction since he drives at more than 130 km/h. His vehicle then violently collided with Cristina Branco’s Volvo, rolled four times before stopping a hundred meters away, largely destroyed. Haggard inside, the driver, conscious, bleeding profusely. He suffered a compound fracture of his wrist. But beside him, Sara lies lifeless. The emergency services will be able to do nothing for her. She died at 21. A family is broken, Portugal is upset.
Sara was the youngest daughter of Tony Carreira and Fernanda Antunes, his ex-wife with whom he had shared nearly 30 years together before their separation in 2014. The couple also had two older sons, David and Mickael, also artists and singers. Like them, Sara had embraced a musical career, starting at the age of 13 in a duo with her father. After releasing several hit singles, including the popular I will stayshe presented her first album in 2009 and launched, a few days before his death, his own clothing line, Esse by Carreirain collaboration with stylist Micaela Oliveira. Demolished by the tragedy, the family, starting with its most famous representative, has since taken care to honor the young woman’s legacy, while awaiting a court decision. It fell last July.
The Court of Appeal notably confirmed the sentences imposed on Ivo Lucas and Cristina Branco. According to a court statement, the appeals filed by the two accused were “totally unfounded”. Ivo Lucas, found guilty homicide by gross negligencewas thus sentenced to a suspended prison sentence of two years and four months, as well as a driving ban for a period of one year. The same suspended sentence was handed down to Cristina Branco, also involved in the fatal accident and accused of negligent homicide. As for Paulo Neves, he is banned from driving motor vehicles for 16 months and the sentence of three years and four months in prison which he received at first instance, also accompanied by a suspended sentence, was maintained.
“It’s a pain that lasts a lifetime, you have to find the strength to live with it“, says Tony Carreira
According to the Portuguese press, these court decisions would have been welcomed by the Carreira family who nonetheless continues his work of mourning. A work which, regarding Tony Carreira, involves a lot of words. This is how he was invited on last November 26 to speak at a lunch debate of the International Club of Portugal in Lisbon.
“It’s a pain that lasts a lifetime and you have to find the strength to live with it“began the singer, quoted in the famous Lusitanian daily, Newspaper, evoking the drama and inviting those who had gone through the same ordeal to find “tools” to hold on to. After revealing that “the pain would still be there“he continued: “My tools have been my daughter’s dogsmy daughter’s association and the talking about her every day.” The father thus clarified that he was talking about her “every day, even several times a day. I talk about the funny things she said, what she said, what she liked and what she didn’t like”he concluded during this intervention which was to be repeated a few days later on Portuguese TV. To speak, like a balm, even though it was paltry, on the gaping wound of this bruised father, who had himself tattooed in his homage.
Coincidence of the calendar and irony of history, this intervention took place only three days before the major protagonist of this tragedy took his turn to speak. But while singing. November 29th, Ivo Lucas a record was actually released in collaboration with another artist: Noninho Navarro. And the first listeners did not take long to imagine that this song could largely refer to the death of Sara Carreira…
Ivo Lucas, Sara’s former companion, won Mask Singer and released a record
By its title, already, It’s hard to acceptwhich could be translated as “It’s difficult to accept”. But also and above all by the words which, even if she is never named, always seem to refer to Sara, the absent one. “I’m still here waiting for you.”, sings the 34-year-old artist. Further on, he intones: “And now I don’t even know where you are, So I go, fueling the hope that you will return.” He then states: “Time heals, but doesn’t help me deal with nostalgia. I suffer so much from the setbacks that life has dealt us.” The singer ends by invoking God and concluding: “I am pain and sadness.”
Even if Sara seems to be present everywhere in this song, Ivo Lucas has, since the accident, found love again with another woman. Winner, two years ago, of the Portuguese edition of Mask Singerhe is now in a relationship with an actress, Joana Aguiar. As painful as it is, for him, life goes on…
