Irma Serrano

Irma Serrano was a Mexican singer, actress and politician known as La Tigresa. She was born in central Chiapas to a local journalist and poet of Mayan ancestry and a wealthy woman of Spanish descent who owned 17 haciendas. She decided to become a performer against her parents' wishes and moved to Mexico City, where she made her film debut in 1962. She signed with CBS Records and became one of the most popular ranchera performers of the 1960s. She rose to national prominence with hit songs such as "El puente roto", "Tierra mala", and "La Martina". She also appeared in musical guest roles in films such as Gabino Barrera, El zurdo, and La soldadera. She became famous for her trademark roaring style which earned her the nickname "La Tigresa de la Canción Ranchera" and later simply "La Tigresa". She was also known for her controversial personal life, which involved affairs with powerful men such as former president Gustavo Díaz Ordaz and businessman Alejo Peralta. In the 1970s and 1980s, she achieved great success as an actress and producer in a series of stage plays, especially the adaptation of Émile Zola's novel Naná, which caused a scandal for its nudity and eroticism. In the 1990s, she ventured into politics and occupied a seat in the Mexican Senate for her home state of Chiapas from 1994 to 1997. She was also involved in social causes such as animal rights and indigenous rights. She died of a heart attack at the age of 89 in 2023.