Verónica Echegui's final months and a close-knit group of people facing illness

The sudden death of Verónica Echegui at the age of 42 last Sunday took the Spanish film world by surprise. Yesterday, many of her colleagues gathered at the La Paz funeral home in Alcobendas to bid farewell to one of the most unique actresses of her generation, discovered by Bigas Lunas in 2006 for "Yo soy La Juani" (I am La Juani) and winner of a Goya Award for directing the short film "Tótem Loba" (She Wolf Totem). The ceremony took place in the complete privacy of her family, with hardly any public comments from those present.

The actress had been dealing with the cancer she had been suffering from for some time with absolute discretion, sharing it only with a close circle. In fact, some of the Madrid-born actress's colleagues and friends were unaware of it, according to sources close to her. In recent weeks, Verónica Echegui had been hospitalized at the 12 de Octubre Hospital because her health had been deteriorating over time, especially since the end of July. In recent months, she had also traveled to the United States to improve her English with the intention of continuing her career.

The actress's death occurred this Sunday at her home in Madrid, following the worsening of her illness. It has sparked a torrent of reactions from the film world, but also from politics. The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, yesterday expressed his condolences to the family through a message on his X profile (formerly Twitter). "I am shocked to receive the news of the death of Verónica Echegui, an actress of enormous talent and humility who is leaving us far too young," the Socialist leader stated. The secretary general of Podemos, Ione Belarra, also shared her condolences. " Our country has lost a magnificent actress and director whom we will never forget . My hugs and affection to Verónica Echegui's family and to all the people who mourn her death today. May the earth rest lightly on you."

"Damn, Tana... I'll always remember your visits to the Kennedys tour. You arrived with your joy, your madness, your energy, your humor... What a shame, how soon," said the actress, Maribel Verdú, in an Instagram post. Also particularly heartfelt was the tribute from Asier Etxeandia, with whom she had shared the stage in 2005 in the play Infierno, by Tomaz Pandur. "I still can't understand anything. Full of life, talent, light, beauty... and your sweet and enthusiastic voice, your face of an intelligent, curious, hard-working, fun, loving girl, attentive to everything ," noted the Basque actor.

Verónica Echegui rose to fame in 2006, almost in her first film role, alongside Bigas Lunas. She played the lead role in Yo soy La Juani, a young, chavish girl from the outskirts of Madrid who wants to become an actress to escape her life and a toxic relationship with El Jonah (Dani Martín), a toxic boyfriend. After that first role, which earned her a Goya nomination for Best New Actress, she began a solid professional acting career. In the following years, she appeared in Tocar el cielo , El menor de los males , 8 citas , La casa de mi padre , El patio de mi cárcel ...

The actress was nominated for a Goya three other times, for El patio de mi cárcel (The Courtyard of My Prison) , Katmandú, a Mirror in the Sky (Katmandu, a Mirror in the Sky) , and Explota explodes (Explode Explodes), but she didn't win the statuette for her performance in any of them. She did win another one in 2022, as director of the short film Tótem Loba (She Wolf Totem).