María Salud Ramírez Caballero, the alleged inspiration behind the character Mamá Coco in Disney’s Coco has died at the grand age of 109.
According to reports, Maria passed away in Santa Fe de la Laguna, Michoacán, Mexico on October 16. She had been born in the same place all the way back on September 16, 1913.
Though never officially acknowledged by Disney, Maria is said to have been the inspiration behind endearing grandmother Mamá Coco in the flick Coco. Locals said that she was known as Mamá Coco in the area where she lived.
On Sunday Roberto Monroy, Secretary of Tourism for Michoacán, confirmed Maria’s passing on Twitter.
“I deeply regret the death of Doña María Salud Ramírez Caballero, ‘Mamá Coco,’ a tireless woman and example of life, who was the inspiration for this beloved character who went around the world,” Monroy wrote in a tweet later translated from Spanish.
Maria’s family have claimed in the past that a team from Pixar Studios visited their town and lived with them for a period of time before the release of Coco.
The animated film, released in 2017, was centered around Mexico’s Day of the Dead traditions. It garnered huge international success and even went on to win an Oscar at the 2018 gala.
Though, as stated, Disney have never confirmed the link between Maria and the character of Mamá Coco, few would attempt to deny the obvious similarities between the two, especially where it pertains to appearance.
Indeed, as per El Universal, Maria herself had said she was photographed by the production team behind the film.
In 2018, Lee Unkrich, director of Coco, tweeted: “This is not a true story. The character of Mamá Coco was not based upon any real person we met in our travels. She sprang solely from our imagination.”
According to Yahoo!, Maria worked as a ceramic potter and is survived by her three children, grandkids and great-grandkids.
I don’t think it’s too controversial at all to say that there are obvious, striking similarities between Maria and Mamá Coco’s character.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments box.
In any case, what a wonderfully long life for this inspirational woman to have lived. 109 years old! Just think of all the things she had seen and done.
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