SAO PAULO, June 25 (UPI) -- Ruth Cardoso, a former first lady of Brazil who died of an apparent heart attack, was laid in state Wednesday as part of a national day of mourning.
Cardoso, 77, was widely regarded as a prominent academic and revered for her sociological studies of Brazil's most-impoverished neighborhoods, known as favelas.
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She also helped form a public and private partnership group to help tackle poverty in Brazil.
Cardoso is survived by her three children and former President Henrique Cardoso, who led Brazil from 1995-2003.
