Juan Pedro Domecq | Noted bull breeder, 69

Juan Pedro Domecq Solis, 69, who helped define the evolution of the bullfight in the late 20th century, died Monday in a head-on crash with a truck in Higuera de la Sierra, near his Lo Alvaro estate in southwest Spain.

As one of Spain's foremost breeders, he first developed what became known as the "artist bull," bred to enhance sleek yet muscular lines, and later the "athlete bull," aimed at giving a more thrilling performance while facing matadors in the bullring.

Known within bullfighting circles simply as Juan Pedro, Domecq had inherited Spain's oldest breeding estate - Veragua, founded in the 18th century - which his grandfather Juan Pedro Domecq y Nunez de Villavicencio had bought in 1939. Initially his bulls were criticized for visibly changing an ancient blood sport, but later many other breeders turned to him to buy prize breeding studs and cows. "He was the creator of the modern fighting bull," said fellow breeder Victoriano del Rio.

Mr. Domecq, who was also an agronomical engineer and descended from a famous sherry-producing family, had in recent years also launched a company selling some of Spain's finest salt-cured ham.

His company website carries this quote from Domecq. "We are a family that began making sherry in the 18th century. But we always had a second passion, the breeding and selection of livestock." - AP