Renowned Mexican soprano Lourdes Ambriz, who provided the singing voice for Belle in Disney’s 1991 Spanish-language version of “Beauty and the Beast,” died August 28, 2025, after a battle with cancer. She was 67 years old. (Some sources published that she was 64.)
The National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature announced her passing on social media last month, expressing deep regret over the loss of the acclaimed performer. Local media reported that Ambriz died due to cancer, though her official cause of death was not immediately confirmed.
Born in Mexico City on July 20, 1958, Ambriz launched her professional career in 1982 with the Compañía Nacional de Ópera del Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes. She made her debut as Olympia in Jacques Offenbach’s “The Tales of Hoffmann,” marking the beginning of what would become a distinguished four-decade international career.
Her role as Belle’s singing voice in the Spanish version of “Beauty and the Beast” brought her widespread recognition across Latin America. While Diana Santos voiced Belle’s speaking lines, Ambriz provided the character’s singing voice alongside Arturo Mercado and Walterio Pesqueira, who voiced the Beast.
Throughout her career, Ambriz performed on stages across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East. She was a soloist with 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 performed with the Arditti Quartet.
The soprano’s repertoire spanned opera, oratorio, chamber music, Renaissance, and contemporary works. In 1991, she debuted as Marina in Emilio Arrieta’s opera at the Málaga Opera in Spain. Two years later, she represented Mexico at the 1993 Europalia Festival in Brussels.
Ambriz also toured with the music ensemble Ars Nova and performed as Eupaforice in Carl Heinrich Graun’s “Montezuma” in 2010. The opera debuted in Germany before traveling to Scotland, Spain, and Mexico. She championed contemporary opera throughout her career, premiering works by several Mexican composers.
Beyond performing, Ambriz held significant administrative positions in Mexico’s opera community. She became artistic deputy director of Mexico’s Compañía Nacional de Ópera in 2014 and served as artistic director of the Bellas Artes Opera from 2015 to 2017. She also taught singing at the School of Fine Arts at the Universidad Panamericana in Mexico City.
Her contributions to music earned her numerous accolades throughout her career. Ambriz received the National Youth Award in 1987 and the Mozart Medal in 2006. In 2023, she was awarded both the Alfonso Ortiz Tirado Medal and 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 praised Ambriz as a key figure in Mexican lyric poetry, noting her extensive international career and membership in the artistic group Cantantes Solistas de Bellas Artes. The organization extended condolences to her family, colleagues, and the artistic community for what they termed an irreparable loss.
Ambriz was part of a distinguished group of voice actors who brought Disney’s beloved characters to life for Spanish-speaking audiences. Her crystalline soprano voice made her one of the most admired figures of the Mexican lyric stage, and her work in “Beauty and the Beast” introduced her artistry to audiences far beyond traditional opera houses.
The soprano’s death represents a significant loss for both the classical music world and Disney fans across Latin America. Her legacy includes not only her memorable portrayal of Belle but also her decades of contributions to opera and her efforts to promote Mexican talent on international stages.
