José ‘Pepe’ Mujica, former guerrilla and ex-president of Uruguay, dies aged 89

In a final interview, Mujica said: We are too focused on wealth and not on happiness ... Before you know it, life has passed you by'

Uruguay's former president Jose Mujica, a onetime Marxist guerrilla 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 the current Uruguayan president. Yamandu Orsi. In a post on social media platform X, Orsi called Mujica a president, activist, guide and leader". Mujica had been under treatment for cancer of the esophagus since spring 2024, when the disease was diagnosed.