Fernando Fernández Tapias died this Wednesday at the age of 84 in Madrid. It was one of his close friends, the journalist Carlos Herrera, who was in charge of announcing the sad news through his radio program first thing in the morning. Thus the life of one of the most important businessmen in our country ended, whom more than one will also know from his forays into the society pages.
The life of the shipowner could undoubtedly give rise to his own film project. Three marriages, eight children, parent-child fights in court, one of them disappeared and later turned up dead; posh friendships and protagonist of one of the most followed romances of the late 2000s with one of the most sought-after models at that time: Mar Flores.
At the moment the causes of the death of the businessman and shipowner are unknown, but it is known that Tapias had had coronary problems for years, which is why he had implanted up to seven stents - small tubes used to narrow the coronary arteries. In recent years, his now widow, Nuria González, has acted as an emotional protector, especially since the pandemic broke out.
Rumors of the shipowner's weakening health have been constant in recent years, but not decades ago, when he was considered one of the best matches in Spanish high society. A self-made man, he married three times, resulting in his eight children and the occasional scandal in the gossip press.
At the age of 25, the businessman married Victoria "Chiqui" Riva de Luna. With her he had four children - Fernando (57), Iñigo (54), Borja (56) and Bosco - and thanks to her family he would take his first business steps. His father-in-law owned the Suardiaz shipping company, which helped him take off as a successful businessman. Later he married Juana García-Courel Mendoza with whom he welcomed his next two children, Alejandra "Sandra" (40) and Juan Carlos "Tito", who was to be called his father's successor.
With Juana Courel he was involved in one of the most expensive divorces in Spanish society in memory. The model Mar Flores had crossed the path of the businessman and he had fallen madly in love with her. The breakup was immediate, but he paid the price: the breakup with his second wife cost him 12 million euros and part of his real estate properties.
With the Vigo shipowner, the model had the opportunity to rub shoulders with the highest ranks of Spanish society and enjoy a life of luxury. A romance that lasted just six months, since the Madrid-born woman simultaneously had her relationship with Alessandro Lequio since January 1997, something that would later take a huge toll on her because after learning of the infidelity - through a now legendary cover of Interviú magazine -, The model was left without a partner.
Nuria González would cross his path in 1998. Four years later, the shipowner and the former model said 'yes, I want' in an intimate and practically secret ceremony attended by only a few of her select close friends, such as Isabel Preysler or María Teresa Campos. The couple got married at the 'La Peñuela' estate, owned by Mercedes Domeneq and Fermín Bohórquez, located in Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz).
Years later, tragedy struck the family. In 2010, at only 40 years old, his son Bosco disappeared without a trace. Bosco, the youngest of the children he had with Chiqui Riva, died diving in Lanzarote. His body was recovered by the Civil Guard in 2012. The tragedy marked the family forever.
More than twenty years of discreet marriage, from which two other children were born -Iván (20) and Alma (16)-, and who intended to provide the stability and tranquility that the shipowner craved in his maturity. However, the shipowner's older children took his father to court, where they tried to incapacitate him.
In an interview with Televigo in 2007, the businessman already reflected on the matter, ensuring that each person's children turn out "as they turn out" and that "the only thing you can choose in life are your friends and your wife."
