The incident occurred at the Aire-sur-l\u2019Adour bullfighting event, where the experienced 36-year-old lost his footing after becoming entangled in his cape.<\/strong><\/p>\n Keep reading to know more about his chilling final moments, which are remembered by many even today.<\/strong><\/p>\n Fandi\u00f1o, a father and native of Spain\u2019s Basque Country, had been a professional matador for over a decade, known for taking on bulls considered too dangerous by others in the sport. On the day of the accident, he had already participated in an earlier bout before stepping into the ring again.<\/p>\n During the fight, Fandi\u00f1o tripped over his cape and fell to the ground, where the charging bull struck him with its horn. The\u00a0animal<\/a>, weighing nearly half a tonne, gored him in the torso, puncturing several vital organs, including his lungs.<\/p>\n Despite being conscious as he was carried out of the arena, Fandi\u00f1o was bleeding heavily. Witnesses later reported his final words:\u00a0\u201cHurry up, I\u2019m dying.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0He suffered a fatal heart attack en route to the\u00a0hospital<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fellow matador Juan del \u00c1lamo, who went on to kill the bull,\u00a0expressed<\/a>\u00a0disbelief at the turn of events:\u00a0\u201cI can\u2019t believe it. None of us understand how it could have happened; it was all so fast. The bull knocked him down with its hindquarters and he fell face down.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Fandi\u00f1o had faced serious injuries in the past. In 2014, he was knocked unconscious in the ring in Bayonne, France, and in 2015, he was tossed into the air during a fight in Pamplona,\u00a0Spain<\/a>. Still, his\u00a0death<\/a>\u00a0shocked the bullfighting world, marking the first time a matador had died in France in nearly a century. The last was Isidoro Mari Fernando, who died in B\u00e9ziers in 1921, according to\u00a0Sud-Ouest<\/em>, a French regional newspaper.<\/p>\n In Spain, tributes poured in following Fandi\u00f1o\u2019s death, including one from King Felipe VI, who honoured him as a \u201cgreat bullfighting figure.\u201d Then-Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy also paid respects.<\/p>\n Fandi\u00f1o\u2019s death came less than a year after another high-profile fatality in the bullring: Spanish matador V\u00edctor Barrio, who was gored to death during a televised event \u2014 the first matador to die in Spain in three decades.<\/p>\n Bullfighting remains a highly controversial tradition. Though banned in some regions, it was declared legal in France in 2012, with courts ruling it part of the country\u2019s local cultural heritage. Spain, too, continues to protect the practice, despite growing calls from animal rights advocates for a total ban.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Renowned Spanish matador Iv\u00e1n Fandi\u00f1o tragically died in 2017 after being gored by a bull during a festival in southwest France. The incident occurred at the Aire-sur-l\u2019Adour bullfighting event, where the experienced 36-year-old lost his footing after becoming entangled in his cape. Keep reading to know more about his chilling final moments, which are…<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/21125925\/tador9922.jpg\")