MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) 鈥 Former Uruguayan President Jos茅 Mujica, a onetime Marxist guerilla and flower farmer whose radical brand of democracy, plain-spoken philosophy and simple lifestyle fascinated people around the world, has died. He was 89.
His death was announced by Uruguayan President Yamand煤 Orsi. In a post on social media platform X, Orsi called Mujica a 鈥減resident, activist, guide and leader.鈥滿ujica had been under treatment for cancer of the esophagus since spring 2024, .
Even as the treatment left him weak and hardly able to eat, Mujica reappeared on the political stage in fall of 2024, campaigning for his left-wing coalition in national elections that vaulted his preferred candidate and prot茅g茅, , to the presidency.
In September of 2024, his doctor reported that radiation had succeeded in eliminating much of the tumor. But in January of 2025, Mujica鈥檚 doctor announced that the cancer in his esophagus had returned and spread to his liver. His autoimmune disease and other underlying medical problems led Mujica to decide not to pursue further treatment.
鈥淗onestly, I鈥檓 dying,鈥 Mujica told weekly magazine Busqueda in what he said would be his final interview. 鈥淎 warrior has the right to rest.鈥
During his , Mujica, widely known as 鈥淧epe,鈥 oversaw the transformation of his small South American nation into one of the world鈥檚 most socially liberal democracies. He earned admiration at home and cult status abroad for and same-sex marriage, enacting the region鈥檚 first sweeping abortion rights law and establishing Uruguay as a leader in alternative energy.
