The 2017 release of Coco, an animated movie from Disney Pixar, was a raging success. The characters, especially the grandmother who gave the movie its title, Mama Coco, won over viewers’ hearts.

Maria Salud Ramirez Caballero, the elderly person on whom the studio based its persona, passed away in Michoacan (Mexico) at the age of 109.

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She never received any sort of official acknowledgement for her contribution to the film. However, Pixar did clarify that when researching the movie, it spoke with many local families, including Maria Salud Ramirez Caballero’s. The actual Mama Coco was a mother of three and a ceramic potter herself.

Their uncanny physical resemblances made her home in Santa Fe de la Laguna a popular destination for tourists.

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Since the film’s premiere in 2017, her family has been trying unsuccessfully to get Disney Pixar to acknowledge that the woman was the inspiration for the character.

Caballero is survived by three children, many grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren. 

Michoacan state tourism secretary Roberto Monroy grieved the passing of the beloved woman.

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He stated, “I am deeply saddened by the passing of Maria Salud Ramirez Caballero, ‘Mama Coco’, a tireless woman and example of life, who was the inspiration for this beloved character that went around the world.”

“I pray for her eternal rest and for her family to find peace of mind,” he added.

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The Disney film follows aspiring musician Miguel as he travels to the Land of the Dead in search of his famed singer great-great-grandfather after learning of his family’s historical opposition to music.

Ana Ofelia Murgua voiced Mama Coco’s character in the film.

With gross revenue of $210.5 million in the US and Canada and $597.4 million globally, Coco was a global box office phenomenon.