Former Uruguayan president José ‘Pepe’ Mujica passed away on Tuesday at the age of 89 after a long battle against esophageal cancer that he had been suffering from and that had spread in recent months.
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The news has been confirmed by the president of Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi. “We will miss you very much, dear Old Man. Thank you for everything you gave us and for your deep love for your people,” he wrote in X.
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At the end of April 2024, the former president announced that a tumor had been discovered in his esophagus. Shortly after, he revealed that it was malignant and needed to be treated with radiotherapy.
In January of this year, he detailed that the cancer had spread to his liver, stating that he was “dying.” “The cancer in the esophagus is colonizing my liver,” he said at the time.
During his term, between 2010 and 2015, Mujica and his government stood out for a broad social agenda that included support for same-sex marriage, the legalization of abortion, and the creation of the first national market for legal marijuana.
Before coming to power, he was the leader of the Tupamaros, a Marxist guerrilla group inspired by the Cuban revolution.