José Gómez Ortega (8 May 1895 – 16 May 1920), commonly known as Joselito (), was a Spanish

matador A bullfighter or matador () is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter, and describe all the performers in the activ ...

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

bullfight Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...

er to receive the title of ''matador de toros'', at the age of 17, with his brother as "padrino". Joselito followed in archrival

Juan Belmonte Juan Belmonte García (14 April 1892 – 8 April 1962) was a Spanish bullfighter. He fought in a record number of bull fights and was responsible for changing the art of bullfighting. He had minor deformities in his legs which forced him to de ...

's footsteps and the two ushered in bullfighting's "Golden Age" during the second decade of the 20th century. Joselito and Belmonte 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. Joselito was fatally gored in the ring by the bull "Bailador" ("Dancer") in

Talavera de la Reina Talavera de la Reina () is a city and municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, part of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. Its population of 83,303 makes it the second most populated municipalit ...

at the age of 25, where he was appearing with the matador Ignacio Sánchez Mejías. Upon Joselito's death, the Virgin of Hope of Macarena was dressed in an entirely black ensemble to acknowledge the public's heavy grief.

Biography

Early life

José Gómez Ortega was born on 8 May 1895 in Huerta de El Algarrobo,

Gelves Gelves is a city located in the province of Seville, in Andalusia, Spain. According to the 2006 census ( INE), the city has a population of 8,325 inhabitants. It lies on the west bank of the Guadalquivir river. The city of Gelves is not to be con ...

(

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

, Spain) to Fernando Gómez García, a bullfighter, and Gabriela Ortega Feria, a flamenco singer. Joselito was a third-generation bullfighter. His father Fernando Gómez García, known as ''El Gallo'' (The Rooster) - Joselito's previous nickname, ''Gallito'', was a diminutive form of this nickname; His elder brother Rafael Gómez Ortega, was also a bullfighter known as ''El Gallo''.

References

1895 births 1920 deaths People from Seville (comarca) Sportspeople from the Province of Seville Spanish bullfighters Bullfighters killed in the arena Sport deaths in Spain {{spain-bullfighting-bio-stub