Jose “Pepe” Musica, a former leftist rebel who became Uruguay’s president from 2010 to 2015, passed away at the age of 89.
Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi announced his death in a social media post on Tuesday. Musica was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2024.
“It is a deep sadness that we announce the death of our comrade Pepe Musica,” Orsi wrote. “I am grateful for all that you have given us and for the deep love for your people.”
Musica became an icon even across Uruguay’s boundaries, and he pursued environmental reform, led the country to legalize same-sex marriage and loosen marijuana restrictions.
He was also celebrated for maintaining his simple lifestyle even among his presidency, even when he avoided the presidential palace in favor of the farmers who grew flowers. He told Al Jazeera in 2022 that such opulence could “divorce” the president from their people.
“Politicians believe that they should live like the majority of people who don’t like how privileged minorities live,” Musica explained.
News of Musica’s death pays homage to all over the world, especially from the figures of the Latin American left.
Mexican President Claudia Sinbaum wrote on social media that we deeply regret the passing of our beloved Pepe Musica, an example of the wisdom, foresight and simplicity of Latin America and the world at large.
Meanwhile, Chilean President Gabriel Borik recalled Musica’s optimism in his own post.
“If you left us something, it was a hopeless hope that we could make things better,” he wrote.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro paid tribute to Musica, who doubled as a call for greater cooperation and integration across Latin America.
“Goodbye, friend,” Peter wrote that Musica’s death led him to imagine a more unified area. “I hope Latin America will have an anthem one day.”
Musica became a symbol of a generation of political leaders who helped them lead their nation from military dictatorships in the second half of the 20th century. Like Peter, Musica was likewise a former rebel fighter.
As a young man in the 1960s, he led armed fighters as part of the left and right Tupamaros movement. This was known for robbing banks, taking over town and swapping shootouts with local police.
Musica was arrested multiple times and spent nearly a decade in solitary confinement in a prison where she endured torture.
The government crackdown on left-wing fighter jets helped pave the way for a coup in 1973, followed by a brutal military dictatorship that committed human rights abuses such as forced loss of failure. However, in 1985, Uruguay began a transition to democracy, with Musica and other rebel fighters being released under the pardon law.
He began to become a force in Uruguay’s politics and joined the Frente Amp or Broadfront, a central left coalition with other former fighters.
After he was elected president at the age of 74, Musica staked progressive stances on civil liberties and social issues, including abortion and gay marriage, and even pushed for legalization of marijuana. He also highlighted the development of green energy practices and placed Uruguay at the forefront of dealing with the climate crisis.
His long-term partner, Lucia Topolanski, met with Tupamaros, but was active politically, serving as vice president after getting married in 2005.
President Musica shunned the president’s residence and stayed at his flower farm on the outskirts of Montevid’s capital. He also drove one of his trademarks, the weathered blue Volkswagen Beetle. His modest lifestyle led him to blow him away the “poorest president in the world.”
“We’re going to elect a president. They’re as if they’re a candidate who’s the king, someone with a court, a red carpet where you have to live in a flashy palace.”
Musica was a well-known figure even after leaving the presidency, attending the inauguration of political leaders across Latin America and providing support to Uruguayan candidates in the 2024 election Orsi.
“The problem is that the world is run by old people who forget what they were like when they were younger,” Musica said in a 2024 interview with news agency Reuters.
Musica was informed in September 2024 that radiation therapy effectively targeted cancer in the esophageal region, but doctors reported that in January 2025 the cancer had returned and spread to the liver.
The former rebels and the president seemed unduly worried.
“To be honest, I’m almost dying,” Musica told the weekly magazine Busqueda, when he told him it would be his last interview. “Warriors have the right to rest.”
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