'Coco' voice actress Ana Ofelia Murguia dies at 90
Ana Ofelia Murguia, who is most known for voicing the titular grandmother in Disney's Coco, has passed away at the age of 90.
The sad development was announced by the National Theater Company of Mexico on X. In their translated post, the company wrote, "With deep sadness, we regret the sensitive death of the first actress Ana Ofelia Murguía, who was part of the stable cast of the National Theater Company of Mexico and whose artistic career was vital for the performing arts of Mexico."
"We send condolences and warm hugs to his family and friends," they added.
Con profunda tristeza lamentamos el sensible deceso de la primera actriz Ana Ofelia Murguía, quien formaba parte del elenco estable de la @CNTeatromx del #INBAL y cuya trayectoria artística fue vital para las artes escénicas de México.
Enviamos condolencias y abrazamos con… pic.twitter.com/BnEkpxG4k2— Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (@bellasartesinba) December 31, 2023
The cause of her death has yet to be detailed.
The veteran actress has worked on a great number of films in her home country, but she is best known for her role in the 2017 animated fantasy film Coco. In it, she lent her voice as the titular character Mama Coco, the protagonist Miguel's great-great-grandmother who plays a pivotal role in the film.
The story follows Miguel as he seeks the help of his deceased great-great-grandfather, who was a musician, to return him to his family among the living and reverse his family's ban on music.
Aside from Coco, Murguía also garnered fame from films such as 1994's The Queen of the Night and 1995's Nobody Will Speak of Us When We're Dead.
Her death comes as Maria Salud Ramirez Caballero, a Mexican woman who reportedly served as the inspiration for Mama Coco, also passed away at the age of 109. She was laid to rest in Santa Fe de la Laguna on Oct. 16 in Michoacán, Western Mexico.
Secretary of Tourism for Michoacán Roberto Monroy confirmed her passing without mentioning the cause of her death, remembering her as a "tireless woman and life model."
“I deeply regret the death of Doña María Salud Ramírez Caballero, ‘Mamá Coco,’ a tireless woman and example of life, who was the inspiration for this beloved character who went around the world,” he wrote in a translated tweet from Spanish.
