Robert Redford has died — The island where he sought strength

Robert Redford died at the age of 89

The news came quietly, yet like a blow: Robert Redford has died. The actor and director who shaped generations died in his sleep at his house in Utah. For us on Mallorca, that means: a figure who often appeared here only in between moments — as a neighbor, as a vacationer, as someone who sought peace — now belongs completely to history.

Why the island meant so much to him

Mallorca in Redford's stories was not a postcard. He came as a young man, stayed for a while, painted, wandered the peninsulas, and later spoke of how that time gave him direction and calm. In the mid-1960s he is said to have lived with his family in Port d'Alcúdia — a period when, between children's laughter at the harbor and long walks along the coast, he weighed whether the stage would really be his home.

I remember conversations with neighbors who only glimpsed him: at the corner bakery, with a sketchbook under his arm, or at the market where he bought olives and bread. Such small encounters make a person feel familiar here, even if you never truly know him.

More than just roles

His films — from clever heist stories to grand dramas — are part of our cultural memory. But Redford also sought answers away from the limelight. A sabbatical in Andalusia, the early days as a painter: all that shows a side that surprises many. He was not only an actor or director, but someone who consistently sought freedom.

For Mallorca his departure means a connection is lost that often spoke with few words. The island has celebrities who shine in photos — and those who sit at the window at night, painting, thinking. The latter remain in memory in a quieter, more personal way.

If you stroll through Palma now, along Passeig Mallorca, you hear conversations about his films, about the old stories from Port d'Alcúdia, and about the image of a man who kept retreating to find strength. This is not a loud remembrance. It is more a collective pause — a thanks for the moments when his work touched us.

Our thoughts are with his family and all who loved him. The films remain. The memories here on the island, too.