Silverio Perez, Requiescat in pace.

The bloody, terrible, and beautiful sport of bullfighting has lost one of its masters.

Silverio Perez, one of Mexico's most beloved bullfighters, has died. He was 91.

Mr. Perez died Saturday at his ranch in Pentecostes east of Mexico City after suffering from pneumonia, Mexican media reported.

Born June 20, 1915, the legendary matador was considered one of the greatest bullfighters of Mexico's Golden Age of toreros. He started his career in 1931 after a bull killed his brother, the famed Carmelo Perez, during a fight in Spain.

Nicknamed "The Pharaoh,'' Silverio Perez's enticing, slow style attracted fans from Mexico to Spain. During a fight in 1943, crowd cheers of "Ole!'' reverberated for blocks from a Mexico City bull ring after he killed "Tanguito'' in what was considered a supreme performance.

He was "seductive while carrying out one of the most difficult tasks in the world,'' the Mexican newspaper El Universal said Sunday.

Mr. Perez retired from bullfighting in 1953. Mexican songwriter and singer Agustin Lara wrote the song, "Silverio,'' in the 1960s in his honor.

A statue of Mr. Perez waving his cape at a bull adorns one of Mexico City's main avenues.

"He was an extraordinary man,'' Mexican bullfighter Eulalio Lopez said.

Thousands of Mexicans planned to honor Silverio Perez in a ceremony Sunday at the Plaza Mexico, Mexico City's main bullfighting ring. His ashes will be enshrined at Basilica de la Virgin Guadalupe.

He is survived by several children and grandchildren. (Thanks to the San Jose Mercury News for this obituary.)