Renowned Spanish matador Iván Fandiño tragically lost his life in 2017 after a devastating goring during a bullfight in southwest France.
The accident took place at the Aire-sur-l’Adour bullfighting event, where the experienced 36-year-old fell after becoming tangled in his cape.
Fandiño, a father and native of Spain’s Basque Country, was known for facing bulls deemed too dangerous by others. He had already participated in an earlier bout that day before returning to the ring for a second.
During the fight, Fandiño tripped, and as he fell to the ground, the charging bull, weighing nearly half a ton, gored him in the torso, puncturing vital organs, including his lungs. Despite being conscious as he was carried out of the arena, Fandiño’s final words, reportedly, were: “Hurry up, I’m dying.” Tragically, he passed away from a heart attack on the way to the hospital.
Fellow matador Juan del Álamo, who later killed the bull, expressed his shock: “I can’t believe it. None of us understand how it could have happened; it all happened so quickly. The bull knocked him down with its hindquarters, and he fell face-first.”
Fandiño had suffered previous injuries, including being knocked unconscious in 2014 and thrown into the air in 2015, but his death still shocked the bullfighting world. It marked the first time a matador had died in France in nearly a century, with the last being Isidoro Mari Fernando in 1921.
Tributes poured in from across Spain following his death, including one from King Felipe VI, who praised him as a “great bullfighting figure.” Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy also expressed his condolences.
Fandiño’s passing came less than a year after the death of fellow matador Víctor Barrio, who was gored during a televised event in Spain, marking the first matador fatality in three decades.
The tradition of bullfighting remains controversial. While it’s banned in some regions, it was declared legal in France in 2012, as part of the country’s cultural heritage, and continues to be protected in Spain, despite calls from animal rights activists for a complete ban.
