Paquirri

Francisco Rivera Pérez ( born March 4, 1948 in Zahara, Cadiz, † September 26, 1984 in Pozoblanco, Córdoba Province), called Paquirri, was a Spanish bullfighter.

Life

He came from a bullfighter family and he grew up in Barbate, Cadiz province, on. His father was the lesser known Novillero Antonio Alvarado Rivera ( 1920-2009 ). His brother Jóse Rivera was also Matador, later also his sons, Francisco and Cayetano.

His debut as Novillero he had in 1962 at the age of 14. The promotion to Matador de Toros, the Alternativa, took place on 11 August 1966 in the bullring in Barcelona. The official confirmation of this promotion, the confirmación, took place on 18 May 1967 in the most important bullring in Spain, in the arena of Las Ventas in Madrid. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was next to " El Cordobés " Manuel Benítez Pérez in the crowds. In some years, he fought in up to 90 bullfights. In almost twenty years of Andalusian killing approximately 2,000 animals.

On April 30, 1983, he married the Spanish singer Isabel Pantoja.

On 26 September 1984 Pérez died as a result of an accident during a bullfight. In the small bullring Pozoblanco ( Cordoba province ), he was hit at the beginning of the struggle of the bull Avispado violently on his right thigh. Here, in particular, the femoral artery was injured. In the insufficiently equipped infirmary of the small bullring you were not prepared for such a violation. Still in the infirmary he talked with the surrounding doctors and caregivers.

In a small ambulance they tried to bring Pérez in the military hospital several hours away from Cordoba, but died on the way to a cardiac arrest. He is therefore regarded as the first famous bullfighter, who was not immediately killed by a bull.