The renowned comic actress Verónica Forqué, one of the most important figures of Spanish cinema and one of the "Almodóvar girls," took her own life on Monday, Dec. 13, at the age of 66. The news shocked the world of culture in Spain, filling it with sadness and starting a necessary conversation about mental health. 

The actress was found dead at her home in Madrid by the health services that went there after receiving a telephone call about a suicide attempt. Forqué had gone through a difficult depression in 2014 — the year her brother Alvaro passed away and when she separated from her partner of over 34 years, director Manuel Iborra. She leaves her only daughter, María, also an artist, and her greatest support during her difficult moments.

The actress went through the reality competition program, Masterchef, which she left, exhausted by the effort. Her visible erratic behavior generated a lot of criticism towards the actress.

"You have to be consistent, I try to be consistent, humble and, if I can't do it anymore, I can't do it anymore. My body and the universe were telling me: you need to stop," she said before leaving the show.

Throughout her career, Forqué participated in legendary films such as, La vida alegre, Sé infiel y no mires con quién, ¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto? and Kika, and became one of the best-known comedy actresses of the 80s. 

Pedro Almodóvar, the director with whom she worked on different productions, lamented her loss immediately after hearing the news, and remarked that Forqué was "an extraordinary actress and an irreplaceable person."

"From the entire El Deseo family, we would like to send all our love to Verónica's family in these painful moments. The void she leaves in our lives and our cinema is irrecoverable," he wrote. 

The arts world has lost a great one.