Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Argentine folk singer Mercedes Sosa, known as the “Voice of Latin America,” died at a Buenos Aires hospital today, her family said in a statement. She was 74.

Sosa, who worked with artists including Joan Baez, Shakira and Argentine rocker Charly Garcia, was suffering from multiple organ failure after entering the hospital last month. Her body will lie in state today at Argentina’s Congressional building, news channel C5N reported.

Sosa won best folk album awards from the Latin Recording Academy in 2000, 2003 and 2006. Garcia called her Argentina’s “greatest voice.” One of Sosa’s most recent albums, Cantora 1, is nominated for three awards at this year’s Latin Grammys, including album of the year and best folklore album. The awards ceremony takes place in Las Vegas on Nov. 5.

Sosa was born in the western city of Tucuman on July 9, 1935. According to Sosa’s personal Web site, her first breakthrough came at the age of 15 when her friends convinced her to sing in a competition sponsored by a local radio station. Using the pseudonym Gladys Osorio, Sosa won the contest.

Sosa supported the democratic movement in Argentina and was arrested during a 1979 concert in the city of La Plata. She went into exile in Paris and Madrid, returning to her home country in 1982, just before the dictatorship fell.

After injuries from multiple falls, Sosa often performed sitting down. She was named a Goodwill Ambassador for Latin America and the Caribbean by the United Nations and counted among her fans current Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

To contact the reporter on this story: Bill Faries in Buenos Aires at wfaries@bloomberg.net;

Last Updated: October 4, 2009 09:17 EDT