I just got the news.
Carlos Soria told me yesterday from Argentina: “Pray for Jean Paul, he is dying in Pamplona”.
And, yes, he died last night.
His name was Juan Pablo de Villanueva, but for many of us he was Jean Paul or Villeneuve.
Since my first meeting with him in Madrid, Juan Pablo Villanueva became a friend, not just a colleague.
He was one of Spain’s most brilliant and cosmopolitan journalists.
He was founder and editor of Nuevo Diario, an innovative paper in the 1970′s.
He was director of the Spanish newswire service EFE.
And he was the founder and editor of many publications. Among them was the Grupo Recoletos (Expansion, Marca, Actualidad Economica…)
A journalist and a media entrepreneur.
He was a fantastic leader.
But what all of us will always remember will be his permanent smile and good character.
And this picture is an accurate portrait of Jean Paul.
I never did work for him save for a few very intense meetings to discuss a project with my students in Pamplona that never went ahead (a Spanish weekly newspaper like Expresso). I learned many, many things, though, from his friendly character, his privileged intelligence and, more important, his modesty.
He was one of the first graduates of the University of Navarre School of Journalism.
He was one of the best, if not the best, too.
A great role model for all of us.
Antonio Fontán, Angel Benito, Jose Luis Martínez Albertos, Alfonso Nieto, Covadonga O’Shea, Juan Kindelan, Luis Infante, Jose María García-Hoz, Jose Manuel Rodrigo, Nicolas de Laurentis, Ramon Pi, Pilar Cambra, Miguel Angel Gozalo, and many other common friends will be devastated today: we have lost a unique friend and colleague.
Rest in pace, and thanks, Jean Paul, we will miss you very, very much.