Ana Ofelia Murguía, the Mexican actress who voiced great-grandmother Mama Coco in the Oscar-winning Disney Pixar animation Coco, has died aged 90.
She had a key part in the film about a Mexican boy who crosses to the Land of the Dead, uncovering family secrets while trying to become a musician.
The movie highlights the Day of the Dead and celebrates Mexico’s culture.
Its National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature said her career was “vital for the performing arts of Mexico“.
One of Coco’s most memorable moments was the scene where Mama Coco and her great-grandson Miguel sing Remember Me together.
He sings: “For even if I’m far away I hold you in my heart,” and she joins in to sing: “Until you’re in my arms again… Remember me.”
The film is set during the Day of the Dead festival held each year in Latin American countries, including Mexico, celebrating the cycle of life and death.
Big parades are held and people often paint their faces to look like skulls, remembering friends and family who have died and passed into the afterlife.
“With deep sadness, we regret the sensitive death of the leading 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,” the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature added.
Born in Mexico in 1933, Murguía won a special lifetime achievement Golden Ariel award in 2011 at a ceremony recognizing the best of the Mexican cinema industry.
Source: OEM
