NATE Berkus is known as the creative mind behind his interior design brand.
But the designer has faced significant hardship, as he was in Sri Lanka when the 2004 Tsunami hit.
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Who was Nate Berkus’ partner Fernando Bengoechea?
Fernando Benoechea was an internationally sought-after photographer.
He and Nate first met when he was hired for a 2003 O at Home magazine shoot.
According to Nate’s book The Things That Matter, Fernando was hired to photograph a living room that Nate had been hired to makeover.
The two fell quickly in love, with Nate often visiting Fernando in his New York City apartment on weekends.
The two shared a love of design from two different perspectives.
In his book, Nate also reflected on their shared love of travel.
He wrote:: “One of the other things Fernando and I had in common was a love of traveling. He had been all over the world, and he was eager for me to see the places he loved most.”
One of those places was a little fishing village in Sri Lanka.
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What happened to Fernando Bengoechea?
On December 26, 2004, Fernando and Nate were vacationing together in Sri Lanka.
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According to Nate’s account of the Tsunami, the two were still in bed when the roof was torn off their hut, and they began fighting for their lives to survive.
They tried to stay together, but a riptide separated Fernando from Nate.
Fernando’s body was never found.
He was 39 years old.
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What has Nate said about the tsunami?
Nate wrote an entire book following the ordeal, from which we quoted the pieces above.
In The Things That Matter, Nate writes about the Tsunami.
He writes about the incident and the devastating aftermath of trying to find his partner and never seeing or feeling him again.
He wrote: “When it was time to board the helicopter, I resisted. I didn’t want to leave without him. But the people around me advised that it would be easier to send out a search party if I were someplace with heat, electricity, working telephones, and Internet service.”
“…I stayed for the next week and a half near the American embassy, watching BBC news. A special security team was dispatched by helicopter from Singapore on a mission to scour the area for Fernando.”
“There were a few false sightings. Some people had seen me, and told officials that I was Fernando. I had a working cell phone by now. Every time it would ring, my stomach would turn over, since I didn’t know if it meant good news or bad. The only thing I did know was that I wasn’t going to leave the country unless I could find Fernando.”
Ultimately, Nate had to leave without Fernando.
Nate’s son’s name is Oskar, which was Fernando’s middle name.
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