What happened to Natália Cavanellas? All about influencer who died at 40
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Natália Cavanellas passed away at 40 (Image via Instagram/@natcavanellas)Natália Cavanellas, a Brazilian business influencer, passed away on Monday, July 7, 2025, during a cosmetic procedure, CNN Brasil reported. According to the outlet, she was undergoing liposuction at the San Gennaro Hospital, located in São Paulo’s Mooca district.
According to CNN Brasil, Cavanellas’ sister told the Civil Police that the entrepreneur suffered a “cardiorespiratory arrest” on the operating table. The SSP-SP (São Paulo Public Security Secretariat) has reportedly registered the case as a “suspicious death (sudden death),” per CNN.
A representative of the surgeon, Dr. Edgar Lopez, confirmed that the entrepreneur “developed a serious complication” during the procedure. According to the statement obtained by CNN Brasil (translated from Portuguese),
“The patient developed a serious complication, compatible with pulmonary embolism, a rare event, but recognized in the medical literature as possible, even with all the preventive measures adopted.”
Natália Cavanellas was an influencer/businesswoman, with her primary Instagram account having over 105K followers. Per CNN Brasil, the entrepreneur worked in public relations while also specializing in corporate networking. Natália’s secondary Instagram handle, @nat_natworking, also has 29.6K followers.
Cavanellas was married to Rafael Thomazella, and the couple shared a daughter named Manoella. The businesswoman often shared her family pictures via Instagram while also posting about events and doing marketing.
Natália Cavanellas’ husband posted a heartfelt message dedicated to his late wife
After the Brazilian influencer passed away, her spouse, Rafael Thomazella, announced the unfortunate news via an Instagram post from her account. He described Natália as a “great woman” and wrote (translated from Portuguese),
“A beautiful, independent, super professional, happy woman, among so many other qualities.”
Rafael added,
“Sadly, Natália left us yesterday, but she will forever remain in our memories and in our hearts. We were married for a few years, and from that marriage came our daughter, Manoella, who is the greatest gift I have ever received in my life.”
Rafael shared that Manoella is quite similar to her mother, whether it’s personality or being communicative. Talking about his and Natália Cavanellas’ daughter, Thomazella wrote,
“I think she takes after her mother in everything, and today I see how good that was. I will always tell Manoella what an incredible woman her mother was, the kind of person everyone adores and admires, and I will always keep her alive in our memories.”
He concluded,
“Goodbye, Husband, Wife, Mom, Nat Cavanellas. Stay with the angels! With love from Dad and Mano.”
CNN Brasil also reported an official statement from Dr. Edgar Lopez’s representative, who shared (translated from Portuguese),
“The medical team hereby provides clarification on the facts reported in the press. The patient underwent an elective surgical procedure, performed in a suitable hospital setting, with all preoperative examinations completed in accordance with safety protocols and medical monitoring.”
The statement highlighted the doctor's 20 years of experience and specialized training for such procedures and added he always acted “with ethics, responsibility, and dedication.” As previously mentioned, Dr. Lopez’s representative shared that Natália Cavanellas “developed a serious complication” during the surgery.
Per the statement obtained by CNN Brasil, the case is under official analysis. As of this writing, the Forensic Medical Institute (IML) is investigating the case to determine Natália Cavanellas’ definitive cause of death. The statement continued,
“The responsible professional has been providing full assistance to the family, remaining available for technical clarifications, always respecting the patient, the family and medical confidentiality.”
According to CNN Brasil, CREMESP (Regional Council of Medicine of the State of São Paulo) is also investigating the case.
TOPICS: Natália Cavanellas, Brazil, Cosmetic Procedure, Cosmetic Surgery, Human Interest