Spanish magician Juan Tamariz's widow has accused his four children of isolating him during his final months of life, triggering an intense family feud following his death at age 83 on August 18 from complications of Parkinson's disease.
Consuelo Lorgia remained seated away from Tamariz's children, Ana, Mónica, Alicia, and Juan Diego, during his funeral home service, with observers noting no interaction between them. Days later, the 69-year-old illusionist broke her silence on television to claim she had been systematically cut off from her husband before his passing.
Colombian magic dynasty
Lorgia belongs to one of Colombia's most prominent magic dynasties. Her father, Gustavo Lorgia Camacho, was a professional magician, as was her brother, Gustavo Lorgia Vanegas, a major figure in Latin American magic who died in 2024. Her son from a previous relationship, Alfredo Lorgia, also followed the family tradition into illusionism.
Over a career spanning more than 30 years, Lorgia earned international recognition specializing in mentalism, telepathy, stage spiritism, divination, and large illusions. Her restrained and mysterious stage presence contrasted with Tamariz's energetic comedy involving cards and a harmonica, though Tamariz frequently praised her in interviews as a wonderful magician who performed elegant routines.
The couple met in 1976 at a world magic congress in Vienna, traveling together across international festivals to trade techniques, theories, and professional secrets. After decades of friendship, their relationship turned romantic, with Tamariz joking that Lorgia had pursued him down the street and he had allowed himself to be caught.
They married on December 2, 2008, in an intimate ceremony at Segovia City Hall as snow covered the famous local aqueduct. Ana Tamariz served as maid of honour for her father, while Alfredo Lorgia accompanied his mother as best man. The couple hosted guests at the La Floresta restaurant after Tamariz declared outside the city hall that nowhere was more magical than Segovia.
Although they had no children together, Lorgia performed alongside Tamariz in major stage productions including Magia potagia, Magia con encanto, and Navidades mágicas. As recently as 2024, they appeared together on the Televisión Española program La matemática del espejo, where Tamariz stated that he admired her greatly as both a woman and a magician, adding that must be why they married.
Care home transfer and hospital claims
According to Lorgia, the marriage took a painful turn on January 29, 2025, when she returned to their shared home in Madrid and discovered Tamariz missing. His children had moved him into a care home due to physical decline from Parkinson's disease, but Lorgia claimed nobody informed her of his destination.
Lorgia said she spent days crying and repeatedly calling and texting Tamariz's phone without response, while his siblings also refused to provide information. When she eventually located the facility, staff informed her that her name was not on the authorized visitor list, forcing her to present wedding photographs from Segovia to gain entry to his room, where she found him with eyes swollen from crying during her one-hour visit.
Lorgia stated she was prevented from freely accompanying Tamariz during his final hospital stay. When she offered to take over a bedside shift from one of his children, she received news that Tamariz had just died and that funeral directors were already en route.
Family response and financial uncertainty
Tamariz's four children have refrained from issuing public statements regarding the dispute. However, sources close to the family told journalists that the children cared for their father attentively and affectionately, maintaining that Tamariz possessed sufficient mental clarity to understand all decisions made regarding his care. The same sources claimed that Lorgia maintained a difficult relationship with the children and that the marriage had been experiencing problems.
Lorgia now faces severe financial uncertainty following the loss. She revealed that the couple had been renting for the past four years after selling their properties in Madrid and Cádiz, the latter having served for years as a global meeting place for leading magicians.
Lorgia stated that the Madrid flat she currently occupies costs 3,000 euros a month in rent, an amount she can no longer afford. She announced that she will have to vacate the property and search for a single room to live in.
