Argentine Folk Singer & Activist Mercedes Sosa Dies At 74 (Photos)

Posted on October 4, 2009

: Mercedes Sosa and Shakira

Activist and folk singer Mercedes Sosa has died at age 74 after suffering kidney problems. Read more on Mercedes Sosa’s death below.

Mercedes Sosa was labeled “the voice of the silent majority” and campaigned for the poor and fought for political changes.

Sosa’s last album was nominated for three Latin Grammy awards.

Her first husband Manuel Oscar Matus and Sosa founded the mid-60s Nueva Cancion movement.

At a concert in 1979, Mercedes Sosa was searched and arrested on stage along with all the people attending the show.

She was then banned from recording, and left the country to live in Paris and Madrid. Sosa returned back in 1982 just before the collapse of military rule.

Sosa was a Unicef goodwill ambassador and put out many albums over her long career. Sosa worked with such musicians as Luciano Pavarotti, Sting, Shakira and Joan Baez.