Former President of Uruguay, José Mujica, has died at the age of 89.
He passed away after battling esophageal cancer, although the exact cause of his death has not been officially stated.
Mujica, often referred to by his nickname “Pepe,” served as Uruguay’s leader from 2010 to 2015. He gained worldwide attention not just for his policies, but for the simple way he chose to live.
Instead of moving into the presidential palace, he stayed in his small home outside Montevideo with his wife, former guerrilla fighter and politician Lucía Topolansky.
He drove an old Volkswagen Beetle and donated most of his salary to charity.
His modest lifestyle earned him the nickname “the world’s poorest president,” a title he never accepted.
He believed that those who constantly chase material things are the ones who are truly poor.
Before becoming president, Mujica was involved in the armed struggle as a member of the Tupamaros guerrilla group.
During that time, he was arrested several times.
In 1970, he was shot multiple times and survived. He escaped from prison twice, once through a tunnel along with over a hundred other prisoners.
He later shared how difficult those years were, saying he suffered mentally and even talked to ants during his time in solitary confinement.
He always said that being released from prison was the happiest moment of his life — even more important to him than becoming president.
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