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Thousands of fans bade a tearful farewell to iconic Latin American folk singer and activist Mercedes Sosa, who died on Sunday at the age of 74.

Massive crowds jostled to have a chance to pay their last respects to the Argentine-born singer as her remains were lying in repose at the National Congress building in Buenos Aires late on Sunday.

Sosa, who had been suffering from various kidney and lung diseases, had been in intensive care at the hospital since Sept. 18.

“She is a symbol of people struggling not only in Argentina but around the world,” said a teary-eyed Carlos Carreiro, 54.

Nicknamed “La Negra” because of her jet-black hair, Sosa was one of the leading exponents of “Nueva Cancion,” a musical style that combined ballads with folkloric instruments, with lyrics that often combined romantic themes and social issues.

During her long career that saw her produce 40 albums, Sosa collaborated with musicians ranging from Luciano Pavarotti, Sting and Joan Baez to Latin stars such as Shakira, Caetano Veloso and Joan Manuel Serrat.

“She had the greatest voice, and she had the greatest heart for understanding suffering,” Shakira said in a statement through her Bogota office.

Sosa “was the voice of her brothers on earth who lifted up the music of suffering, and of justice,” Shakira said.

Sosa performed in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in 1994, and to sold-out crowds at Carnegie Hall in New York in 2002 and at the Coliseum in Rome along with piano legend Ray Charles in 2002.

“She was one of those people who did not have a voice during the years of Argentine military dictatorship, and she communicated our yearning for human rights to the entire world,” commented singer and composer Victor Heredia, who often performed with Sosa.

A Unicef goodwill ambassador, her latest album, “Cantora,” is currently nominated for three Latin Grammy awards.

“I never thought that I would sing for a living,” Sosa said in a recent interview.

Born into a humble home on July 9, 1935, in the northern Argentine province of Tucuman, Sosa — who was half indigenous Aymara — was strongly influenced by popular culture and traditional folk music.

With help from her husband, musician Manuel Oscar Matus, she recorded her first album in the early 1960s, and became known in Argentina after singing at a 1965 music festival in the city of Cordoba.

A self-proclaimed progressive, Sosa went into exile during Argentina’s 1976-83 military regime.

One of Sosa’s best known songs is “Gracias a la Vida,” or “Thanks to Life,” from a 1972 album honoring the late Chilean poet and singer Violeta Parra. The song was further popularized in the 1980s with Sosa recording the song again in a deeper voice.

“She lit up our lives,” Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said in Caracas. “She may be gone physically, but Mercedes is still with us.” 

AFP