José Mujica, who has died aged 89, was a Marxist terrorist who reinvented himself to become a popular liberalising president of Uruguay in his 70s; ostentatiously rejecting the rewards of office, he earned the soubriquet “the world’s poorest president”.

He oversaw an economic boom, a reduction in poverty, and the legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage and marijuana.

The funeral procession for the late former President Jose Mujica makes its way from the presidential palace to the National Assembly in Montevideo, Uruguay, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico) The casket of Uruguay’s former President Jose Mujica is transported from the presidential palace to the National Assembly during his funeral procession in Montevideo,

The former Uruguayan president, who died on Tuesday, showed the value in world leaders living like their constituents.

I t is not a flashy country and José Mujica, who died on May 13th aged 89, became its epitome. As Uruguay’s president from 2010 to 2015 he continued to drive a battered sky-blu

In what former Uruguayan President José Mujica said would be his final interview last year, he said: "A warrior has the right to rest."

The Uruguayan government has declared three days of national mourning in honor of the late former President Jose "Pepe" Mujica.

The Latin American country's 40th leader — known as "Pepe" — became internationally renowned because of his humble lifestyle. View on euronews

I t is not a flashy country and José Mujica, who died on May 13th aged 89, became its epitome. As Uruguay’s president from 2010 to 2015 he continued to drive a battered sky-blue Volkswagen Beetle and to lunch in workaday bars on the main street of Montevideo,

The militant-turned-politician was an icon of the left in Latin America.

King Charles III wrote a message to the Uruguayan people and former President José Mujica's family expressing his solidarity in these times of mourning. Mujica died on Tuesday aged 89, after battling esophageal cancer.