Netflix child actress Millena Brandão dies at 11 after suffering 13 cardiac arrests

Millena Brandão, an 11-year-old Brazilian child actress known for her role in the Netflix series Sintonia, tragically passed away on May 2, 2025, after a rapid and unexplained decline in health.

According to her parents, Thays and Luiz Brandão, Millena began experiencing severe headaches, leg pain, fatigue, and loss of appetite on April 24. Despite multiple visits to the hospital, she was misdiagnosed with dengue fever and sent home without tests.

By April 26, her condition worsened. Two days later, she fainted at home and was rushed back to the hospital, where she suffered her first cardiac arrest. A CT scan later revealed a 5-centimeter mass in her brain, though no neurologist was available to determine its nature.

In the days that followed, Millena experienced a total of 13 cardiac arrests and multiple respiratory failures. She was eventually declared brain dead. Her parents made the heartbreaking decision to remove life support on May 2.

“She never woke up again,” her mother told G1.

Thays Brandão confirmed her daughter’s passing in an emotional Instagram tribute, sharing a photo of Millena with angel wings and writing, “We lost our little girl, but I’m sure she’s in the arms of our almighty father.”

Millena’s death has sparked grief across Brazil and among Netflix fans, highlighting the tragedy of losing such a young talent with a bright future ahead.