José Gómez Ortega, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetJosé Gómez Ortega
Spanish bullfighter (1895-1920)
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Seville, Andalusia, Spain
About José Gómez Ortega
- José Gómez Ortega (8 May 1895 – 16 May 1920), commonly known as Joselito (Spanish pronunciation: [xose'lito]), was a Spanish matador in the early twentieth century. Younger brother of matador de toros Rafael Gómez Ortega ("El Gallo"), Joselito was considered a child prodigy and was the youngest bullfighter to receive the title of matador de toros, at the age of 17, with his brother as "padrino".
- Joselito followed in arch-rival Juan Belmonte's footsteps and the two ushered in bullfighting's "Golden Age" during the second decade of the 20th Century.
- Joselito was fatally gored in the ring by the bull "Bailaor" in Talavera de la Reina at the age of 25, where he was appearing with the matador Ignacio Sánchez Mejías. Belmonte and Gómez are widely considered to be among the most famous bullfighters of all time, and their professional rivalry did not prevent their developing a close personal friendship.
- Upon Joselito's death, the Virgin of Hope of Macarena was famously dressed in an entirely-black ensemble to acknowledge the public's heavy grief; to date, this tribute has never been repeated in Spanish history.
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