The Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria dresses in mourning to say goodbye to a referent of the party, Fernando Méndez, a historical designer of the Queen’s gala who died this Thursday from complications derived from covid-19 after weeks of fighting the virus.
Fernando Méndez has been the most awarded designer of the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Carnival, with a total of 22 awards, with 13 Queens and 9 Ladies.
In addition, he devised the last scepter of the capital’s carnival queen and is one of the icons of the party, of which he was a part for more than two decades.
It was in 1986 when he signed his first fantasy in the carnestolendas and has dressed stars of the stature of Lola Flores, Sara Montiel and Ursula Andress, among others.
The Councilor for Carnival, Inmaculada Medina, has stated that with the death of Fernando Méndez, “a great of the carnival is lost, a friend, loyal, elegant, educated and always willing to collaborate and contribute all his wisdom.”
“It will be very hard to have a carnival without their contribution,” added Medina, who has stated that “he misses him from now on.” “For me it is a very sad day, and for the carnival, an irreparable loss,” he added.
The Councilor for Celebrations, Servando González, has assured that the name of Fernando Méndez “will remain written in capital letters in the history of the Canary Islands carnival, which he represented at various international fairs and events.”
The artistic director of the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Carnival, Israel Reyes, has also regretted the news, since “we lost a great lover and defender of the party and a singular creator ”.
His contribution to these city festivals “is of great value and leaves a legacy that will go down in history.”
Reyes recalled his character “always perfectionist and detail-oriented”, who taught him “to understand the importance of the symbols of our carnival”, and has said that “he created the scepter and a concept of queen costumes that has marked an era.”
The presenter and regular master of ceremonies of the carnival costumes, Daniel Calero, has insisted on the same idea, because Fernando Méndez “was not only a reference to the carnival but a precursor of the queen as we know her today.”
The comedian, who worked with Méndez in galas and events for years, has lamented the loss because “he was always a person faithful to his work” and a symbol of “elegance and good work, win or not.”
Calero has recalled a phrase that he used to say to him regularly: “I have no detractors, but confused admirers.”
The deceased designer is not only the most awarded in the history of the city’s carnival but a pioneer of what became “liturgy”, the unofficial presentation of his candidate for queen at an event that “took great care”Calero commented.
Fernando Méndez defended that “the protagonist had to be the queen” and he was “always polite and elegant, even in knowing how to lose, he always acted as he was,” said the comedian.
For Calero, the memory is loaded with “a lot of affection” because “there are people who leave something when they go through life and Fernando at all times left some detail”, as he was “a person with a lot of peace and very calm.”
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