109-Year-Old Mexican Grandma Dubbed the 'Real' Mama Coco From Beloved Pixar Film 'Coco' Passes Away

Maria Salud Ramirez Caballero, the Mexican grandma who reportedly inspired the character Mama Coco in Pixar's animated film "Coco," has passed away. She was 109.

RobertoRoberto Monroy, the Secretary of Tourism in Mexico's state of Michoacan, announced her death on Sunday. However, her cause of death was not disclosed, Yahoo reported. Monroy tweeted that the ceramic potter was "the inspiration" for the "beloved character" of Mama Coco.

The Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, inspired the 2017 film "Coco," which follows a 12-year-old boy named Miguel who unintentionally plays the guitar once owned by a famous musician before he ended up in the Land of the Dead.

Ana Ofelia Murguía voiced Mama Coco, Miguel's warm-hearted great-grandmother.

Disney Does Not Formally Recognize Mexican Grandma Maria Salud Ramirez Caballero as Mama Coco

According to Lad Bible, Disney has never openly acknowledged that Maria Salud Ramirez Caballero inspired the iconic character Mama Coco.

However, the Daily Mail reported that her family claimed a Pixar team came to their neighborhood to photograph the Mexican grandma, and she even lived with them for some time.

Ever since the 2017 movie came out, Caballero's family has been trying to have her recognized as the model for the character, but they have been unsuccessful.

According to "Coco's" director, Lee Unkrich, the story is not true. He noted that the Mama Coco character was not based on any natural person they had met and that the character came from their imagination, Remezcla reported.

Despite this, fans still travel to her place to see Mama Coco in real life. Tourists flocked to Caballero's hometown to meet the real-life Pixar star, according to South American news outlet Recreio.

People came to her house to take pictures with the Mexican grandma, listen to her stories, and give presents to "the real-life Mama Coco."

'Coco' Fans Mourn Over the Death of the Mexican Grandma

Roberto Monroy said he remembered the Mexican grandma as a "tireless woman and life model," adding that she passed away in Santa Fe de la Laguna, the same town where she was born more than a century ago.

"I deeply regret the death of Doña Maria Salud Ramirez Caballero... who was the inspiration for this beloved character who went around the world," Monroy noted.

Numerous "Coco" fans expressed their grief with Monroy. One fan tweeted that she had been crying all morning when she discovered that Mama Coco had just died and would be watching "Coco" later that night.

Another user tweeted, "woke up to find out the real mama coco died," accompanied by an array of crying emojis, E! News reported.

Meanwhile, Caballero said in 2018 that she remembered meeting the movie producers in their plaza.

"They offered me so many things, but nothing came of it... They only came and took my picture," she noted.

According to Gerontology, Maria Salud Ramirez Caballero was born on September 16, 1913. She was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 2015.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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