José Mujica, the former guerrilla fighter turned globally beloved president of Uruguay, has died at the age of 89.
His death, attributed to cancer of the esophagus, was announced Tuesday by current President Yamandú Orsi, who hailed Mujica as a “president, activist, guide and leader.”
Known around the world simply as “Pepe,” Mujica captivated audiences far beyond South America with his unvarnished philosophy, deep humility, and radical approach to leadership. As Uruguay’s president from 2010 to 2015, Mujica helped transform the nation into a progressive beacon, legalizing marijuana and same-sex marriage, expanding abortion rights, and pushing for renewable energy, policies that made Uruguay a model of modern liberal governance.
But it wasn’t just his politics that earned admiration, it was how he lived them. Mujica famously refused to live in the presidential palace, instead residing on a small flower farm with his wife, Lucía Topolansky, and giving away most of his presidential salary. His beat-up Volkswagen Beetle became a symbol of his ethos: simplicity, authenticity, and service.
“Honestly, I’m dying,” Mujica told Búsqueda in what he called his final interview earlier this year. “A warrior has the right to rest.”
Diagnosed with cancer in early 2024, Mujica initially responded well to treatment. But by January 2025, the disease had returned and spread to his liver. With an autoimmune condition and other health complications, he declined further treatment, focusing instead on spending his remaining time in peace.
Despite his frailty, Mujica re-entered the political scene last fall, campaigning for his leftist coalition and mentoring Orsi, who ultimately won the presidency. It was a final act of service from a man who had devoted his life to his country, sometimes at great personal cost.
A former Marxist-Leninist guerrilla, Mujica co-founded the Tupamaros in the 1960s, engaging in a violent campaign against Uruguay’s elite. After a dramatic series of gunfights, arrests, and a daring prison escape, Mujica was captured in 1972 and spent the entirety of Uruguay’s military dictatorship in prison. He endured torture and years of solitary confinement, experiences that would shape his worldview but never embitter him.
Following his release in 1985, Mujica chose a path of peace, founding the Movement of Popular Participation (MPP), which became the largest force within the Broad Front, Uruguay’s leftwing political coalition. He was elected to Congress in 1995, became a senator in 2000, and served as agriculture minister before winning the presidency in 2010.
He served only one term, in accordance with Uruguay’s constitutional limits, but left a lasting imprint on the nation and the world.
In his final days, Mujica remained characteristically reflective. “Life is a beautiful adventure and a miracle,” he said. “We are too focused on wealth and not on happiness. We are focused only on doing things and, before you know it, life has passed you by.”
Mujica is survived by Topolansky, a fellow former militant and longtime partner in life and politics. The couple had no children.
As Uruguay mourns, the world remembers José Mujica not just as a statesman or revolutionary, but as a living parable, a reminder that power and principle can, sometimes, walk hand in hand.
