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On Sunday, April 13, Mario Vargas Llosa—the Nobel-winning author—passed away. The Peruvian author's death was announced by his son, Alvaro Vargas Llosa, who revealed that the 89-year-old died in Lima, "surrounded by his family."
The statement—signed by all three of Llosa's children (Alvaro, Gonzalo, and Morgana)—further read:
"His departure will sadden his relatives, his friends and his readers around the world, but we hope that they will find comfort, as we do, in the fact that he enjoyed a long, adventurous and fruitful life, and leaves behind him a body of work that will outlive him."
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It also announced that Mario Vargas Llosa's final rites would be carried out in accordance with his instructions and that no public ceremony would be held for the late author.
Before Llosa's death, the Peruvian author's last known relationship was with Isabel Preysler. The couple began dating in 2015 and were together for eight years before they split in 2022.
Preysler, 71, announced their separation in a popular celebrity magazine, iHola!, saying:
"Mario and I have decided to end our relationship for good."
Before their breakup, Mario and Isabel were living together in the complex Puerta de Hierro. Following the split, the author moved out and returned to his apartment in Puerta del Sol, Madrid.
Per Isabel, the breakup stemmed from the writer allegedly walking out of their home in a fit of jealousy. She claimed that it wasn't the first time Llosa had done that. She also told journalist Mamen Sanchez that both of them had come to realize they wanted to go their separate ways.
Preysler is also the mother to singers Enrique Iglesias and Julio Iglesias Jr.
Mario Vargas Llosa and Isabel Preysler first met in 1980s for an interview
According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, Mario Vargas Llosa and Isabel Preysler first met in the 1980s in St. Louis for an interview. The socialite recalled their first meeting, saying:
"I saw Mario for the first time in St. Louis, Missouri, when I interviewed him in 1986 for ¡Hola!"
At the time, Llosa was married to his second wife, Patricia Llosa, while Preysler was married to Miguel Boyer, the former Spanish finance minister. She continued:
"From then on, Miguel and I established a good friendship with Mario and his wife, which has been maintained throughout all these years."
Presyler and Llosa remained friends for years until reconnecting in 2015 on a Porcelanosa-organized trip to visit Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. Isabel had been widowed a year earlier after 27 years of marriage, while Mario and Patricia had recently celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary.
The two began dating shortly after the event and fell in love, leading to Mario Vargas Llosa divorcing Patricia later that same year.
Before meeting Isabel Preysler, Mario Vargas Llosa was married twice. He first married Julia Urquidi in 1955, a marriage that ended in a divorce in 1964. A year later, in 1965, he married Patricia. Their marriage lasted 50 years before their divorce in 2015.
