A retired matador was killed by a bull on Friday as he prepared the animals for a bullfight at an arena in Málaga, in southern Spain, organizers said.

Ricardo Ortiz was handling the bulls in their enclosures at La Malagueta, a historic bullring in Málaga, when one of the animals gored him, according to Lances de Futuro, the company organizing the bullfight.

“We want to convey our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the deceased, a much loved and respected person in the bullfighting world,” the company statement said.

Ortiz’s death came a day before a Picasso-themed bullfight, during which three bullfighters will face six bulls, is scheduled to take place at the arena.

Ortiz, born in Málaga in 1974, was from a family of bullfighters and had a successful career of his own, Spanish newspaper El País reported.

Bullfighting and bullrunning, both of which are emblematic of stereotypical Spanish culture, have become increasingly controversial in recent years, caught in the crosshairs of a culture war and condemned by animal rights activist groups.

Between 2010 and 2023, the number of bullfighting festivals in Spain dropped by a third, according to Reuters.

Elsewhere across the world too, the practice is declining. Colombia passed a bill in 2024 banning bullfighting there by 2027, after which only seven countries around the world will host bullfights. And Mexico City overhauled the tradition last year, after its local congress passed a measure to make bullfights less harmful to both bulls and matadors by banning the use of spades and swords to attack the animals. (CNN)