Retired Matador Gored to Death

A veteran of the bullring has died in the very arena where he once fought. Retired matador Ricardo Ortiz, 51, was fatally gored Friday while working with bulls in their pens at La Malagueta in Málaga, Spain, reports CNN. The company behind the event, Lances de Futuro, said Ortiz was handling the animals in their enclosures when one attacked, and offered condolences to his family and colleagues, calling him "a much loved and respected person in the bullfighting world."

Ortiz, born in Málaga into a bullfighting family, was preparing for a Picasso-themed event slated for Saturday, in which three matadors were to face off against six bulls. The Corrida Picassiana went ahead as scheduled, notes the New York Times, with a moment of silence at the beginning. His death comes as bullfighting faces mounting scrutiny at home and abroad. The number of bullfighting festivals in Spain has fallen by about a third since 2010, and countries including Colombia and Mexico have recently moved to ban or significantly limit the practice. If Colombia's 2024 ban takes full effect in 2027, only a handful of nations will still legally host bullfights.