María del Carmen Martínez-Villaseñor Barrasa, known by her stage name Mari Carmen y sus muñecos, has died at the age of 80 in a tragic event in Tenerife. The renowned ventriloquist lost her life due to a domestic accident caused by a fall down the stairs of her home, according to Semana magazine last night. Apparently, she would have already been found dead outside the home.
The news of her passing has shocked all of Spain, since Mari Carmen was one of the most outstanding comedians. Her legacy includes unforgettable characters such as Doña Rogelia, Daisy, Nícol and Rodolfo, who accompanied the comedian in her successful television career and now rest in a box as mute witnesses to her talent.
Over the decades, Mari Carmen left an indelible mark on the history of entertainment and television, both in Spain and abroad. The charisma and the ability to bring the dolls to life conquered a demanding audience that eagerly awaited their appearances on television in the seventies, eighties and nineties of the last century and already at the beginning of the current one.
Multifaceted throughout her career, in 1971 she made her acting debut in the film La graduada, by Mariano Ozores, where she appeared together with Lina Morgan and Florinda Chico. In 1973 he began collaborating with Luis del Olmo on the program Las siete y media musical, of Televisió Española. He also presented, with Pepe Sancho and María Jiménez, El tren (1982), a space on the history of the railway in Spain.
From then on, and already as a ventriloquist, she became a regular character on the screen in programs such as ¡Señoras y señores! , Applause , Sábado noche or Pero, ¿esto qué es? . More recently, he appeared in the legendary Cine de barrio or Deluxe and came to make a cameo in the series La que se avecina. At the height of his popularity he had managed his own spaces, such as Humor cinco estrellas, on Telecinco, or Ay, vida mía, on TVE.
The Spanish humor community deeply regretted last night the loss of Mari Carmen and paid particular tribute to an artist who left an indelible mark in the world of ventriloquism. Contributions to entertainment and unforgettable screen presence will be remembered with fondness and admiration.
A native of Conca, the mayor of the Castilian capital, Darío Dolz, was one of the first to mourn the loss last night: “She was a great ambassador for Conca”, he pointed out. Also last night, the representative of the Board of Castilla y León in Conca, María Ángeles Martínez, lamented the death of the comedian, who emphasized that it is “a loss for the city of Conca, of which she always boasted like an inhabitant of Conca more”. Mari Carmen y sus muñecos was named favorite daughter of Castile-La Mancha in 2012. She will be buried in Conca, where her grave had already been arranged.
