María Navarro, who was Isabel Pantoja's right-hand man and representative for two decades, has passed away.
This has been confirmed on the television program Sálvame Naranja by journalist Chelo García-Cortés, who specified that Navarro, who was also the mother of actress Lola Dueñas, died on April 13 in Madrid, although it has not been made public until now.
The confidante, friend and representative of Isabel Pantoja had been suffering for years from the consequences of Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common cause of dementia.
A condition that leads to a continual deterioration in thinking, behavior, and social skills and that affects a person's ability to live independently.
Her health problems had caused her to live in a nursing home in Madrid for a long time.
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Isabel Pantoja, acquitted in the trial for the sale of her house in Marbella
After confirming the news of the death, Chelo García-Cortés has criticized the behavior that the tonadillera has supposedly had for years with whom she was an essential person in her life and in her career.
“I told you, 'She's ill, go see her.'
You have never gone, you have never called.
Well, you know, Maria Navarro has died surrounded by people who really loved her, "said the journalist.
The relationship between María Navarro and Isabel Pantoja, recently acquitted in the trial for the sale of her house in Marbella, dates back to the time when the singer and Encarna Sánchez were inseparable.
Navarro worked on Encarna Sánchez's radio program and was recommended by her to Isabel Pantoja, who was looking for a representative to take care of everything related to her relationship with the media and her career.
Over time, Navarro also became the main protector and defender of the singer, when Pantoja had to face various problems with the law and her decline in popularity in public opinion.
Isabel Pantoja with María Navarro in Madrid, in 2011. Europa Press (Europa Press via Getty Images)
In 2013, María Navarro decided to put an end to her professional relationship with Isabel Pantoja for personal reasons.
Her daughter Ana de Ella, a lawyer by profession, suffered from a serious illness and did not want her work to deprive her of caring for her and accompanying her in those hard times.
Her daughter Ana Dueñas passed away at the age of 50, in May 2016. María Navarro was also the mother of one of the best-known faces of Spanish cinema, actress Lola Dueñas, winner of two Goya awards for her roles in
Me too
and
Sea inside.
In addition, the actress was awarded the Silver Shell at the San Sebastian Film Festival in 2009 for
Me Too
and she received the Cannes award together with all the actresses from
Volver .
, directed by Pedro Almodovar.
María Navarra's relationship with acting was also marked by her marriage to actor Nicolás Dueñas, who died in November 2019 at the age of 78.
Nicolás Dueñas had secondary roles in several films by Pilar Miró such as
El Crimen de Cuenca
(1980),
Gary Cooper, que está en los cielos
(1980) and
Tu nombre poisonas missueños
(1996).
In theater he did tackle important roles, highlighting his work in
Angelina o el honor de un brigadier
,
La marquesa Rosalinda
,
Hair
,
Toc Toc
(the Union of Actors awarded him as best leading actor) or
Taste of honey
.
His participation in numerous productions was constant since she worked in
Godspell
in 1975 , one of the very few musicals that could be seen in Spain in those years.
However, as happens to many actors, his true popularity came from his participation in
No one lives here.
After his divorce from María Navarro, Nicolás Dueñas had a relationship with fellow actress Emma Ozores and later with fellow actress Mar Fernández, who was his last partner.