Death and funeral

José Carlos Gómez Villamandos, the acting Andalusian minister for University, Research and Innovation, died on Tuesday 2 June 2026 at the age of 63 after a long illness. A funeral mass was held on Wednesday at the Iglesia de la Trinidad in Córdoba, attended by acting regional president Juanma Moreno and other members of the Andalusian government.

“It has been a very painful loss for the Government Council.”

Moreno described the minister as a “great public servant” and noted that he had worked “until the last day,” including as a candidate for Córdoba in the regional elections of 17 May. Bishop Jesús Fernández of Córdoba said that “everyone speaks well of him” for both his political work and his university career.

Official mourning

On Wednesday, the Junta de Andalucía issued a decree declaring three days of official mourning, from 3 June to midnight on 5 June. The Andalusian flag will fly at half-mast on all public buildings during the period. The decree, published in the Boletín Oficial de la Junta de Andalucía (BOJA), highlighted Gómez Villamandos’s “extraordinary capacity for work, marked optimism and openness to dialogue.”

A university man in government

Before entering regional politics, Gómez Villamandos was a leading figure in Spanish higher education. A veterinary graduate of the University of Córdoba, he served as its rector from 2014 to 2022 and as president of the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE) between 2019 and 2022. He held a European diploma in veterinary pathology and a diploma in university management.

As minister, he drove the Ley Universitaria para Andalucía (LUPA), a university financing law that became a benchmark for other regions. The official mourning decree called it one of his

Tributes from across the political spectrum

Cabinet colleagues recalled his personal warmth and dedication. José Antonio Nieto, acting justice minister, said that “when things got tough he always put on a smile” and that he never used his illness as an excuse to set aside problems. Antonio Sanz, acting health minister, called him “a public servant who gave himself to others” and added that his optimism was sorely needed in Andalusian public life.

A second loss for the government

This is the second time President Moreno’s government has lost a sitting minister. In April 2022, Javier Imbroda, the education and sports minister, died after a prolonged illness. Moreno reflected: “In seven and a half years we have had to say goodbye to two serving ministers.”