Mexican actor Ana Ofelia Murguia, who voiced Mama Coco in 'Coco,' passes away at 90

Mexican actor Ana Ofelia Murguia, who gave voice to the character of "Mama Coco" in the popular Pixar film "Coco," has died, Mexican officials said. She was 90.

Mexico's National Fine Arts Institute announced Murguia's death Sunday without providing a cause of death.

"She leaves an enormous void on our country's sets," Culture Secretary Alejandra Frausto Guerrero said in a statement.

"Coco," which was released in 2017, brought Murguia to an international audience late in life.



But the actor had a long acting career in Mexican film and television, and on the stage. She appeared in some 70 plays and 90 movies, including 'Life Sentence' (1979) and 'The Queen of the Night' (1994).

In the animated "'Coco," she voiced the soft-spoken great-grandmother of a boy discovering his family's musical history.

In April, the National Autonomous University of Mexico awarded Murguia its Ingmar Bergman Medal for leaving "an indelible mark" on Mexican film and theatre.



In her acceptance speech, Murguia displayed her typical humility, asking "Why me?" She said she was exhausted by all of the recognition and plaudits.

"This career has been my life," Murguia said. "It has been the passion of my life. I've loved it."