Renowned Mexican soprano Lourdes Ambriz, who provided the singing voice for Belle in the Spanish-language version of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” died on August 28, 2025, at age 67 after a battle with cancer. The National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature announced her death on social media last month.
Born in Mexico City on July 20, 1958, Ambriz became a key figure in Mexican opera with an extensive repertoire spanning opera, oratorio, chamber music, Renaissance and contemporary works. Her international career spanned more than four decades, with performances on stages across Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East.
Ambriz made her professional debut in 1982 with the Compañía Nacional de Ópera del Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, performing as Olympia in Jacques Offenbach’s “The Tales of Hoffmann.” Her crystalline soprano voice quickly established her as one of the most admired figures on the Mexican lyric stage.
The soprano’s role as Belle’s singing voice in Disney’s 1991 Spanish version of “Beauty and the Beast” brought her widespread recognition across Latin America. While Diana Santos provided Belle’s speaking lines, Ambriz delivered the character’s musical performances alongside Arturo Mercado and Walterio Pesqueira, who voiced the Beast.
Throughout her career, Ambriz performed as a soloist with numerous prestigious orchestras, including the Dallas and San Francisco orchestras, the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Canada, the Deutsche Kammerakademie, the Simón Bolívar Orchestra of Venezuela and the Prague Opera. She also collaborated with the Arditti Quartet and toured extensively with the early music ensemble Ars Nova.
In 1991, Ambriz debuted in Spain at the Málaga Opera as Marina in Emilio Arrieta’s work of the same name. Two years later, she represented Mexico at the 1993 Europalia Festival in Brussels. Her commitment to contemporary opera included premiering works by composers Mario Lavista, Víctor Rasgado, Roberto Morales, Manuel Henríquez Romero and Hilda Paredes.
A notable performance came in 2010 when Ambriz portrayed Eupaforice in Carl Heinrich Graun’s “Montezuma,” a rare staging that traveled to Germany, Scotland, Spain and Mexico. Her artistic restlessness and dedication to championing contemporary works made her a significant figure in promoting Mexican talent internationally.
Beyond performing, Ambriz held several influential positions in Mexico’s cultural institutions. She served as artistic deputy director of Mexico’s Compañía Nacional de Ópera beginning in 2014. From 2015 to 2017, she worked as artistic director of the Ópera de Bellas Artes, where she promoted innovation and supported Mexican voices on the world stage.
Ambriz also contributed to musical education as a singing instructor at the School of Fine Arts at the Universidad Panamericana in Mexico City. She was a member of the artistic group Cantantes Solistas de Bellas Artes throughout her career.
Her exceptional contributions to music earned her numerous accolades over the decades. She received the National Youth Award in 1987 and the Mozart Medal in 2006. In 2023, she was honored with the Alfonso Ortiz Tirado Medal, followed by the prestigious Bellas Artes Medal in Music, which the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature described as “the highest distinction awarded by this institution.”
The National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature expressed deep regret at her passing, noting her role as a key figure in Mexican lyric poetry and acknowledging her international career spanning more than four decades. The organization extended condolences to her family, colleagues and the artistic community for what they termed an irreparable loss.
Local media reported that Ambriz died due to cancer, though her official cause of death was not immediately confirmed. She passed away at a hospital in Mexico City on August 28, 2025, leaving behind a legacy that bridged classical opera and popular culture through her work with Disney.
