Renowned TV Writer Mery Larralde Passes Away in Santiago de Cuba

The esteemed radio and television writer from Santiago de Cuba, Mery Larralde, passed away this Sunday in the city that was the heart of her artistic career. According to TV Santiago, Inés María Larralde Díaz, widely known as Mery Larralde, was born in Calabazar de Sagua in Las Villas and dedicated her entire professional life to the radio and television industry in Santiago de Cuba.

Larralde was a prominent cultural promoter, a writer for radio and television, and an advisor for television programs. A significant portion of her work focused on creating radio programs with historical and cultural themes about Santiago de Cuba. In television, she was the author of scripts for children's musicals and programs that highlighted the cultural richness of the region, such as “La Tumba Francesa” and “Los Cafetales de la Gran Piedra.”

Additionally, she contributed to the development of dramatized programs and scientific dissemination spaces, such as “El Hombre y su Mundo.” Larralde also spent many years working on a television project focused on health, to which she dedicated much of her career with great devotion.

She offered cultural training courses to the hosts of the participation program "Señal 2000," and many of her projects received awards in various festivals and competitions. With her passing, Santiago de Cuba’s cultural scene loses a remarkable woman who, even after retirement, continued to write and left a significant legacy for the culture of Santiago de Cuba. Her death was deeply felt on social media.

The program director, Rubén Gómez, mentioned on Facebook that the distinguished intellectual and television and radio writer, Mery Larralde, mother of television director Rigoberto Larralde, passed away in the morning hours. “On behalf of those who loved and admired her, we extend our deepest respect and wish for her eternal rest, and to her family, our condolences,” he wrote.

Journalist José Emilio Oliveros Seisdedos also highlighted on social media that the artist dedicated more than two decades to promoting the culture of Santiago de Cuba: “A lifetime devoted to the audiovisual media, enhancing the knowledge of viewers and listeners with her intellect and fine writing.”

“A simple, sweet, and kind woman who won the affection of all the workers at Tele Rebelde, and later at Tele Turquino and Radio Mambí,” he added.

In recent days, Cuba has deeply mourned several recent losses. The Cuban Basketball Federation announced with sorrow the passing of the renowned coach Alejandro Castañeira, who died on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. Castañeira, who dedicated his life to basketball, left an indelible mark with his numerous titles in the Pan American and Central American and Caribbean Games.

Former volleyball player Mercedes Pomares, a member of the legendary team known as the Morenas del Caribe, was laid to rest in Havana after passing away at the age of 70. First Vice President Raúl Fornés Valenciano led the Cuban sports movement’s tribute to Mercedes Pomares, reported the official news portal JIT on Facebook.