José Mujica, Uruguay’s humble president who changed his country and charmed the world, dies at 89

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Former Uruguayan President José 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 Yamandú 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 affliction was diagnosed.