María del Carmen Martínez-Villaseñor Barrasa, known by her stage name Mari Carmen and her dolls, has died at the age of 80 in a tragic event that occurred in Tenerife.
As Semana magazine has advanced, the renowned ventriloquist lost her life due to an accident caused “by a fall down the stairs,” sources close to the artist have reported. Her lifeless body has been found “at the doors of her house”, the same sources have added. The National Police has taken charge of investigating the circumstances of the event.
The news of her departure has shocked the national sphere, since Mari Carmen was one of the most prominent comedians in Spain. 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 witnesses to her talent.
Over the decades, Mari Carmen Villaseñor left an indelible mark on the history of entertainment and television, both in Spain and abroad.
Mari Carmen’s charisma and her ability to bring her dolls to life conquered a demanding audience that eagerly awaited her appearances on programs such as Cine de barrio.
The Spanish humor community deeply regrets the departure of Mari Carmen and pays tribute to an artist who left an indelible mark on the world of ventriloquism. Her contributions to her entertainment and her unforgettable screen presence will be remembered with fondness and admiration.
His career was linked to that of José Luis Moreno, also a ventriloquist, whose father was one of the discoverers of Mari Carmen. The woman from Cuenca, although she later moved to Tenerife, where she died, quickly achieved popularity, especially for her appearances on Saturday Night, Ladies and Gentlemen!, Saturday Night or But What Is This?, making her a regular on the small screen in the 70s and 80s.
In the following decade, in the 1990s, he also continued to appear on television, presenting programs such as Humor cinco estrellas on Telecinco or Ay, vida mía on TVE. Years later, she even made a cameo in the famous series La que se avecina, reaching the new generations.
In his extensive professional career, he also composed some songs, published a book in 1988 -Ventana al Edén- and participated in El aviso inoportuno, recorded in Mexico in 1969 and in which he shared a cast with the comedy group Los Polivoces and actor Carlos López. Montezuma.
His last television appearance occurred this year, in April. So, Mari Carmen opened the doors of her house to Friday Deluxe to show her canary home, her inseparable dolls and review her long career.
In the interview with the Telecinco program, Mari Carmen remarked that she had been working “64 years” without taking a single sabbatical year and advanced that she was writing two books in which she planned to gather “the best moments of her life”.
In the same program, the artist also revealed that she never allowed anyone to touch her dolls, except for two people “whom she admired”: King Juan Carlos and Julio Iglesias.
María del Carmen Martínez-Villaseñor Barrasa was very jealous of her private life and throughout her career little information came out about it. However, it was known that in 1980 she married Manuel Almanzor, son of the representative of the boxer Urtain. In 1981 her son Miguel Manuel was born.
The marriage lasted a year. In August 1988, she reconciled with her ex-husband, from whom she was already legally divorced. This second stage lasted until September 1992, but months later came a new reconciliation.
The mayor of Cuenca -the artist’s birthplace-, Darío Dolz, has highlighted that Mari Carmen y sus Muñecos was a great ambassador for Cuenca and has conveyed his condolences to family and friends through social networks.
The delegate of the Board in Cuenca, María Ángeles Martínez, has also lamented the death of the comedian, who has assured that it is “a loss for the city of Cuenca, something that she always boasted of as one more from Cuenca.”
Mari Carmen y sus Muñecos received in 1994 the Gold Medal of the College of Commercial Agents of Cuenca, in 2012 she was named favorite daughter of Castilla-La Mancha and already had her niche in the Cuenca cemetery, built in her lifetime.
