Ana Ofelia Murgua, Mexican Star and Voice of Disneys Coco, Dies at 90

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Ana Ofelia Murguía, the Mexican actor best known for voicing the titular character of Disney and Pixar’s 2017 animated movie “Coco,” died Sunday, Dec. 31, BBC News reports. She was 90.

“Coco,” which follows a young boy as he crosses over to the land of the dead during Mexico’s Día de los Muertos, won two Academy Awards, for best animated feature and original song for “Remember Me.” Murguía voices the aging Mama Coco, whose memory of her father is reignited by her great-grandson, Miguel. At the emotional climax, Murguía’s Coco sings the film’s central song, “Remember Me,” with Miguel.

“Coco” was lauded for its representation of Mexican culture and celebrated for its exploration of heavy subjects, like death, through the lens of a children’s movie.

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Mexico’s National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature paid tribute to Murguía on X/Twitter, writing that her “career was vital for the performing arts of Mexico.”

Murguía, who was born in Mexico in 1933, won the Golden Ariel special lifetime achievement award in 2011 at a ceremony honoring the best of Mexican cinema. The award was jointly given to writer-director Jorge Fons. Throughout her career, Murguía won best supporting actress at the Ariel awards (Mexico’s equivalent to the Oscars) in 1979, 1986 and 1996.

With more than 100 acting credits, Murguía got her start on an episode of the Mexican telenovela “La Tormenta.” Her most famous roles include 1994’s “The Queen of the Night,” 1992’s “Mi Querido Tom Mix” and 1979’s “Life Sentence.”

Murguía’s last acting role was in a 2018 episode of “José José: El Príncipe de la Canción,” a fictionalized retelling of the famed Mexican singer’s life story.

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