Woman Who Reportedly Inspired Pixar’s Mama Coco Dies at 109

Pixar fans are morning the loss of “Mama Coco.”

María Salud Ramírez Caballero who reportedly inspired the character of Mama Coco in Disney-Pixar’s Coco, died in Santa Fe de la Laguna, where she was also born. Roberto Monroy, the Secretary of Tourism for the Mexican state of Michoacan announced Caballero’s death on Twitter Oct. 16, however a cause of death has yet to be revealed. 

“I deeply regret the death of Doña María Salud Ramírez Caballero, ‘Mamá Coco,’ a tireless woman and example of life,” Monroy wrote, “who was the inspiration for this beloved character who went around the world.”

Along with Monroy, many Coco fans are taking to Twitter to mourn her death.

One user tweeted, “i been crying all morning. bts are enlisted to the army and won’t come back until 2025. i just found out MAMA COCO JUST DIED THIS MORNING. i’m going to watch coco tonight,” while another tweet read, “woke up to find out the real mama coco died,” accompanied by an array of crying emojis.