Widower gets late wife's face tattooed on his arm so she's always 'close'

A grandfather who was left alone when his wife died got a tattoo of his soulmate's face on his arm - so he could stay "close" to her now she was gone.

Waldir Spalato, 83, was married to his soulmate Lourdes for nearly 60 years but the pair were sadly separated when she passed away following a kidney infection.

The tattoo, on full view on Waldir's arm, is a line drawing of Lourdes head and shoulders, resting above a bed of flowers, and was done by his granddaughter Fernanda Spalato.

His other granddaughter, Manuella, filmed the finished result and posted the emotional clip on TikTok where it resonated with fans, and soon had 3.3 million views.

Waldir and Lourdes were married for almost 60 years (Jam Press Vid/@ferspalatotattoo)

Waldir wanted to keep Lourdes close after she passed away, so got her face tattooed on his arm (Jam Press Vid/@ferspalatotattoo)

What do you think about Waldir's tattoo? Let us know in the comments...

In the video, Waldir, from Brazil, said: "This tattoo I got done is a tribute to my dear wife who went to another dimension.

"So it's a tattoo that I always want by my side, very close to me. Together with her, who is also by my side."

Waldir lived Lourdes in São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo State, Brazil, until her recent passing.

Tattoo artist Fernanda said: "My grandparents have always been very supportive. They even got a tattoo from me during the pandemic to help my new venture."

Waldir was over the moon with his tattoo. (Jam Press/@ferspalatotattoo)

The image was taken from Waldir's favourite photo of his late wife (Jam Press/@ferspalatotattoo)

After Lourdes passed away, Waldir asked Fernanda to immortalise his wife with a tattoo on his upper left arm.

After deciding on the perfect photo, Fernanda incorporated an image of wild roses - Lourdes' favourite flowers - along with her signature to complete the design.

Fernanda shared a touching video of the process on her Instagram page, which included footage of Waldir and Lourdes together before her passing.

Fernanda designed the tattoo for her granddad (Jam Press Vid/@ferspalatotattoo)

Now Lourdes is with Waldir at all times (Jam Press Vid/@ferspalatotattoo)

The tattoo artist said: "I think this little video doesn't need subtitles.

"It was beautiful, they were married for almost 60 years, and now they are eternalised in their skin and heart.

"I know Nanna was with me, helping me with every little stroke, and holding his hand."

In the heartwarming footage, Waldir says to a picture of his wife: "I'm just going to say it like you always said it to me: I love you, I love you, I love you very much."

He then kisses the photo frame as Fernanda sheds a tear.

One local said: "I'm crying rivers."

"How much I cried, dear Lord," said another.

And a third user wrote: "Wow, it's beautiful. I cried a lot. Congratulations Fe, it turned out amazing."

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