MANILA, Philippines — The woman said to have been the inspiration for the titular grandmother in Pixar's 2017 film "Coco" has passed away at the age of 109.
Roberto Monroy, the tourism secretary of Mexico's Michoacán state, announced on Twitter the death of one of his constituents, María Salud Ramírez Caballero, whom he referred to as "Mama Coco."
"[Ramírez Caballero was] a tireless woman and example of life, and the inspiration for a beloved character who went around the world," Monroy said in Spanish.
While Disney or Pixar has yet to acknowledge that Ramírez Caballero was indeed the blueprint for Mama Coco, many who have watched the film say both women bear an uncanny resemblance to each other. Some tourists even visited her home and took pictures of her beside a "Coco" poster.
Lamento profundamente el fallecimiento de Doña María Salud Ramírez Caballero, “Mamá Coco”, mujer incansable y ejemplo de vida, quien fuera inspiración para este amado personaje que dio la vuelta al mundo. Mis oraciones para su descanso y para que su familia encuentre resignación
— ROBERTO MONROY G (@robertomonroy1) October 16, 2022
Ramírez Caballero was born and died in the Michoacán town of Santa Fe de la Laguna where she worked as a potter, raising a huge family — like Mama Coco — up to great-grandchildren.
"Coco" follows a young musically-inclined boy Miguel who travels to the land of the dead during Día de los Muertos to search for his great-great-grandfather, the father of his old and quiet Mama Coco.
At the 90th Academy Awards, "Coco" was awarded Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song for "Remember Me."
Veteran Mexican actress Ana Ofelia Murguía, who turns 89 years old in December, voiced Mama Coco in the Pixar film.
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