Was Yolanda Montes married? All about the family as Mexican Cinema icon dies at 93

Mexican cinema icon Yolanda Montes passed away on February 16, 2025, at 93 in Puebla, Mexico.

The cause of her death was reported as fulminant infarction which was followed by respiratory complications, as confirmed by Mexico’s Secretary of Culture in a post on X. He referred to her as an “important figure in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema.”

She passed away approximately at 9:30 in the morning and was accompanied by her family at the hour of her death, as reported by Ruetir.

Montes had a hypnotic presence on stage among her fans and followers and was famously known as ‘Tongolele’. However, her heart was stolen by the “love of her life,” Joaquín González. He was a Cuban, and they shared a passion for music, according to a report in El Universal.

She tied the knot with Gonzalez in 1956. The duo was married for 40 years until he died in 1996. Reportedly, Yolanda Montes was not married at the time of her death.

Gonzalez was recognized for his skills with drum and other percussion instruments and was nicknamed, The Magician of the Drum. He often accompanied her in her musical shows. How many children did they have? Here are the details of Yolanda Montes’ married life.

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Exploring Yolanda Montes’ married life and children

Yolanda Montes was born on January 3, 1932, in Spokane, Washington, United States. Her birth name is Yolanda Yvonne Montes Farrington. Her father, Elmer Sven Móntes descended from a Spanish father and a Swedish mother. Her mother, Edna Pearl Farrington had an English father and a French mother. While her maternal grandmother, Molly was of Tahiti origin.

She reportedly moved to Mexico in 1947 when she was 15 and was hired by a dancer by Américo Mancini, a theatre impresario. Gradually, she went on to become an icon of exotic dance in Mexico which fused with African, Tahitian, and Caribbean rhythms.

In 1956 she married Cuban Joaquín González with whom she had two sons, twins Ricardo and Rubén González Montes, who were born in 1950, according to a report in Debate. However, there are no reports as to how the two met as Montes liked to keep her private life under wraps.

But we do know that he was a drummer and a musician and often accompanied her on her shows. A report in Debate indicated that during the birth of her sons, Montes was at the peak of her career and was 18 years old.

Despite her difficulties, she returned to the stage just after a month of giving birth to her sons. She reportedly worked at the Tropicana in Havana, Cuba at that time.

Her husband struggled with heart problems in 1976 which led to the placement of a pacemaker, but on December 22, 1996, he died at home. Montes’ sons were by her side during her last days as she suffered from senile dementia, as reported by El Universal.

Montes traveled to places during her life moving from Argentina to another year in Chile and then three years in Cuba. She finally found a permanent residence in Mexico where she lived with her late husband and her children until her death in February 2025, according to a report in The Telegraph.