Acclaimed Spanish actress Verónica Echegui dies aged 42 after private cancer battle
Acclaimed Spanish actress and director Verónica Echegui has died following a private cancer battle. She was 42.
The actress, whose breakout film Yo soy la Juani (I am Juani) catapulted her to fame, had been hospitalised in Madrid before she passed away on Sunday.
The Spanish Union of Actors and Actresses revealed the actresses death in a statement to X.
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Acclaimed Spanish atress Veronica Echegui has died aged 42. Getty
"Actress Verónica Echegui dies at 42," the statement read in Spanish. "Rest in peace".
Her death comes following a private battle with cancer, per reports in the Spanish press.
According to local media, few people in the industry knew of her illness as she and her team kept it private.
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Echegui was awarded a Goya Award for Best Short Film in 2023. Getty
Having appeared in over 50 films and TV shows since 2003, Echegui had a profound impact on the Spanish entertainment scene.
Her role in Yo soy la Juani saw her leap to fame in Spanish cinema. Since then, she has starred in several acclaimed roles including in the 2008 film My Prisoner's Yard (2008) and in the 2013 film The Cold Light of Day alongside Sigourney Weaver and Bruce Willis.
She also directed the 2020 short film Tótem Loba which won Best Short Film at the Goya Awards in 2023. Throughout her career she has been nominated five times for the Goya Award which is Spain's main national film award, presented annually by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain.
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News of her passing has sent ripples throughout Spanish screen industry as tributes have begun to flow for the actress gone "too young".
Echegui's fellow actor Antonia Banderas, who starred in the well-known The Mask of Zorro (1998) and Spy Kids (2001).
"Today, Spanish cinema mourns the passing of Verónica Echegui," he wrote in a heartfelt post on X, translated from Spanish.
"My condolences to her family and friends."
Actress Maribel Verdú, who was a friend of Echegui also shared a heartfelt message writing: "How sad. How soon."
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Many in the Spanish screen industry have shared tributes for the late actress. Getty
The shock of her passing has also sent ripples through the Spanish political sphere.
"Our country has lost a magnificent actress and director whom we will never forget," Ione Belarra, general secretary of the Spanish political party wrote in a post on X.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also shared a tribute to social media, writing: "I am deeply shocked to learn of the passing of Verónica Echegui, an actress of enormous talent and humility who has passed away far too young."
The Madrid-born actress has worked in various countries including Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Italy and the United States.
Her most recent role was in the 2025 TV series Love You To Death.
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