The death of Spanish magician Juan Tamariz on 18 August at age 83 has exposed a bitter family dispute between his widow, Consuelo Lorgia, and his four children. Lorgia, a Colombian magician married to Tamariz for 17 years, claims that on 29 January his children moved him to a care home without her knowledge or consent. She says she spent days trying to locate him, and that his brother told her he was forbidden from speaking to her. She eventually found him by tricking him into revealing the location, and had to show wedding photos to prove she was his wife before being allowed to visit. Lorgia also alleges that she was not informed of his final hospitalisation and was prevented from seeing him before he died.
A different account emerged from journalist Lorena Vázquez, who spoke to people close to the magician. According to these sources, the children acted with Tamariz's agreement and were devoted to his care. Vázquez reported that the relationship between Tamariz and Lorgia was itself "complicated," and that colleagues could visit him freely, suggesting he was not isolated. An unnamed family friend told El Español that the residence decision was "de común acuerdo entre Juan y sus hijos" and that the children "solo han velado por el bienestar de un padre enfermo."
