Totó la Momposina, Colombian Icon Who Brought Caribbean Folk Music to the World, Dies at 85

Totó la Momposina, the legendary Colombian artist who introduced the sounds of the Caribbean coast to audiences around the globe, has died at the age of 85.

Born Sonia Bazanta Vides, the singer passed away on Sunday, May 17, in Celaya, Mexico, after suffering a heart attack, according to a statement shared by her family on her official Instagram account.

“With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our mother,” her children wrote. “Totó was a woman who, with her voice and extraordinary dedication, carried the culture and memory of the Colombian people to the far corners of the world.”

Tributes quickly poured in from across Colombia and beyond. The country’s Ministry of Culture honored her as “the eternal Momposina,” praising her lifelong work preserving and promoting traditional Caribbean genres such as cumbia, porro, mapalé and bullerengue.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro also paid tribute, writing that Totó was “a dear friend and a luminary of Colombian Caribbean art and culture.”

Born in 1940 in Talaigua Nuevo, Bolívar, Totó la Momposina came from a family deeply rooted in music and folklore. She began performing professionally in the 1960s and later expanded her studies in Bogotá, Paris and Cuba, blending formal training with a profound commitment to preserving Afro Colombian and Indigenous traditions.

Her international breakthrough came with the release of La Candela Viva in 1993 through Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records. The album introduced listeners around the world to the vibrant rhythms and stories of Colombia’s Caribbean region and established her as a global ambassador for traditional Latin American music.

Though her career spanned decades, Totó earned her only Billboard top 10 appearance in 2011 as a featured artist on Calle 13’s “Latinoamérica,” alongside Susana Baca and Maria Rita. The song reached No. 9 on Latin Digital Song Sales and became a celebrated anthem of Latin American identity and pride.

According to her family, her body will be returned to Colombia on May 27, where a public tribute will be held to celebrate her life and extraordinary legacy.

With a voice that carried the spirit of Colombia across continents, Totó la Momposina leaves behind an enduring cultural legacy that will continue to inspire generations to come.