Famed Singer Mercedes Sosa Dies At 74

Mercedes Sosa, 74 died today from complications due to liver, heart and kidney aliments. Sosa was an award winning singer who was often called the "Voice of Latin America".

She was acknowledged as a passionate folk singer who using her lyrics fought the social injustice of governmental repression. Though her songs were politically charged, she wanted to keep the politics to those involved in it. Sosa stated that, "artists are not political leaders. The only power they have is to draw people into the theater" as reported on Washingtonpost.com.

Her lyrics were about the poor and forgotten in Latin America, and she joined the "nueva cancion" movement of the 1960s and 1970s, but still did not declare herself a political activist. The movement showed the Latin America community and the rest of the world the struggles of the lower class brought on by a dictatorship government.

She was praised by many different artists in many different genres of music around the world including fellow folk singer Joan Baez. Baez said that she was so moved by Sosa that she dropped to her knees and kissed the woman's feet.