Silverio Perez, 91, Famed Bullfighter
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Silverio Perez, one of Mexico’s most beloved bullfighters, died Saturday at 91.
Perez was considered one of the greatest bullfighters of Mexico’s Golden Age of toreros. He started his career in 1931 after a bull killed his brother, Carmelo Perez, during a fight in Spain.
Nicknamed “The Pharaoh,” Silverio Perez’s enticing, slow style attracted fans from Mexico to Spain. During a fight in 1943, crowd cheers of “Ole!” reverberated for blocks from a Mexico City bull ring after he killed “Tanguito” in what was considered a supreme performance.
He was “seductive while carrying out one of the most difficult tasks in the world,” the Mexican newspaper El Universal said Sunday.
Perez retired from bullfighting in 1953. Mexican songwriter and singer Agustin Lara wrote the song, “Silverio,” in the 1960s in his honor.
A statue of Perez waving his cape at a bull adorns one of Mexico City’s main avenues.
