Leo Dan, the Argentine who sang to Mama Antula before Pope Francis, died

The Argentine singer Leo Dan, originally from Santiago del Estero, died on Wednesday, January 1. In the last year of his life he fulfilled one of his dreams: to sing before Pope Francis, nothing less than the hymn to Mama Antula, the saint of his land.

The renowned singer-songwriter died at the age of 82 in Miami, Florida (United States), where he had lived for 30 years. However, he never forgot his homeland, and in 2024 he participated in Rome of the canonization ceremony of Saint Mama Antulathe first Argentine holy woman, who was born in the territory where the province of Santiago del Estero is today.

By attending the celebrations surrounding the canonization, Leo Dan fulfilled one of his dreams, as he had expressed in 2015 in an interview with the newspaper The Herald from Colombia: “I want to sing to Messi and the Pope, and I know I’m going to achieve it.”

In the Vatican, and before the Holy Father, Leo Dan interpreted The paths of faitha song written for the occasion, and classics from his repertoire such as Dear Santiago y Zamba of my hopeaccompanied by the singer Manuel Wirtz.

Cintia Suárez, one of the researchers and author of several books about Mama Antula, recalled in dialogue with The Liberal his meeting with Leo Dan in Rome on February 9, 2024, on the occasion of the canonization.

“Leo Dan was very excited to have been at this historic event of the canonization of Mama Antula, to have been able to sing to Mama Antula and to have been with Pope Francis,” he reviewed.

“That day, which was very nice, when we finished the presentation of our Mama Antula book (together with the Italian journalist Nunzia Locatelli), he promised me that he was going to do, as he had done the anthem for Mama Antula, the anthem for Mons Jorge Gottau for the canonization of the former bishop of Añatuya. He told me that he knew Gottau and remembered that Gottau went to his house when Leo lived in Atamisqui,” said the writer.

After the canonization, Suárez said, Leo Dan told him: “We are in heaven.”

“I will never forget Leo Dan,” he said, highlighting his “Santiago tune” and his deep love for his province. “Leo Dan, a Santiago native who never forgot where he came from, his place of origin, and that wherever he went, he was like a Santiago native before anything else,” he remarked.