A fundraising campaign has been launched in memory of Tanit, one of Ibiza’s most recognisable characters, following his death on Sunday, September 6, at the age of 81.

Born Ferdinand Guy Jocelyn, Tanit spent decades becoming part of Ibiza’s cultural landscape and was especially associated with the island’s alternative and hippie history.

Now his family and close friends are asking people to channel the affection and memories generated by his death into practical support for others.

The money raised will go to the Asociación Pitiusa de Ayuda a Afectados de Cáncer, known as APAAC, the organisation that supported Tanit during his illness.

A wish inspired by his own experience

According to his family, Tanit wanted to help APAAC continue its work after experiencing the organisation’s support personally.

The campaign was launched after his death through GoFundMe, with the intention of transforming the many messages, photographs and memories shared in recent days into financial assistance for people facing cancer and their families.

The organisers describe the fundraising initiative as part of Tanit’s legacy and a way of carrying out something he wanted to do himself.

APAAC provides free support in Ibiza and Formentera

APAAC is a non-profit organisation providing support to people affected by cancer and their families in Ibiza and Formentera.

Its services include psycho-oncology, social support, specialised accompaniment, physical recovery and other programmes designed to help people during different stages of the cancer journey.

The organisation states that its services for affected people and their families are provided free of charge. Its psycho-oncology service includes individual and family support, psychoeducation, guidance and bereavement care.

That work gives the fundraising campaign a particularly direct connection to Tanit’s own experience.

Ibiza has been remembering one of its most distinctive characters

Since news of his death emerged, tributes have been shared across the island by people who knew Tanit personally and by generations of residents and visitors who recognised him immediately.

His long dreadlocks, colourful appearance, bicycle and unmistakable personality made him one of the most familiar faces of Ibiza’s alternative culture.

For decades, he moved through the island’s beaches, streets and nightlife venues, becoming associated with a period in which Ibiza developed its international reputation for freedom, creativity and unconventional lifestyles.

His death has therefore been widely seen as the passing of one of the last highly visible links to that chapter of Ibiza’s history.

Who was Ferdinand Guy Jocelyn, known as Tanit?

Tanit was born Ferdinand Guy Jocelyn in Martinique in 1945.

He arrived in Ibiza during the island’s transformation into an international centre for alternative culture and became involved in several aspects of island life.

Over the years, he worked as a barman, dancer, public relations figure and party organiser, while maintaining the distinctive appearance and personality that made him instantly recognisable.

His connection with Ibiza's hippie movement became particularly strong from the 1970s onwards, and he remained a visible presence on the island for decades.

One of his final wishes came true just two days before his death

Tanit received one of Ibiza’s most recent cultural honours only two days before he died.

On Friday, September 4, he was presented with La Llave de Ibiza at Club Diario de Ibiza.

The seventh edition of the cultural recognition also honoured designer Charo Ruiz and Amnesia figure Martín Ferrer, while Tanit received a special recognition connected with his role in the island’s cultural history.

Despite his declining health, Tanit attended the ceremony personally and was met with an emotional reception.

The moment has since taken on additional significance because it was one of his final public appearances.

Tanit died two days later

On Sunday, September 6, Tanit died at his home in Ibiza at the age of 81, surrounded by friends.

His death came just two days after receiving La Llave de Ibiza.

There was also a striking coincidence in the date.

September 6 is associated with the Tanit goddess after whom he had taken his name, adding a symbolic dimension to the timing of his death that has been widely noted in tributes to him.

The ancient Tanit was a major Phoenician-Carthaginian goddess whose cult was particularly important in Ibiza, making the name deeply connected to the island’s own ancient history.

The recognition came at an emotional moment

Accounts of the September 4 ceremony describe an emotional atmosphere as Tanit was honoured in front of a packed audience.

He arrived in a wheelchair and was visibly moved by the recognition, receiving a long standing ovation from those attending.

For friends who had known him throughout Ibiza’s earlier decades, the ceremony became a rare opportunity to publicly celebrate his contribution while he was still alive.

Two days later, that moment had become one of his final chapters.

His legacy is bigger than nostalgia

Much of the public reaction to Tanit’s death has naturally focused on memories of an older Ibiza.

He represented a period when the island’s image was being shaped by hippie culture, artistic expression, nightlife, alternative lifestyles and an unusually tolerant social atmosphere.

But the new fundraising campaign gives his legacy another dimension.

Instead of simply remembering the character he became, his family and friends are asking people to support an organisation helping others through illness.

That turns personal memories into something practical.

APAAC’s work goes beyond medical care

APAAC does not replace medical treatment. Instead, its work complements healthcare by addressing the emotional, social and practical effects of cancer.

The organisation works alongside the oncology and palliative care services at Hospital Can Misses and provides support designed around both patients and their families.

Its services include psychological support, social care, physical rehabilitation, onco-aesthetics and volunteer accompaniment.

APAAC describes its mission as providing comprehensive, personalised and free support to people affected by cancer and their families in Ibiza and Formentera.

The campaign gives Ibiza a way to say goodbye

Tanit was remembered for his individuality, his humour and his unmistakable presence.

For many people, he represented an Ibiza that existed before the island became the global luxury and nightlife destination it is today.

The fundraising campaign provides a different kind of farewell.

Rather than asking people simply to remember Tanit, it gives them the opportunity to act on the wish he expressed during his illness.

Every contribution can help APAAC continue providing free support to people affected by cancer across Ibiza and Formentera.

A final gesture from an Ibiza original

There is a fitting simplicity to the idea behind the campaign.

Tanit spent decades receiving affection from an island where he became part of everyday life. During his final illness, APAAC became part of his own story by supporting him.

His wish was to give something back.

Now his family and friends are carrying that wish forward.

The fundraising campaign transforms the extraordinary wave of affection following his death into an opportunity to help other people and families facing cancer.

For someone whose life became so closely intertwined with Ibiza, it is a final gesture rooted not in fame or nostalgia, but in solidarity.

Keeping Tanit’s wish alive

Tanit died on September 6, just two days after receiving La Llave de Ibiza.

Since then, Ibiza has been saying goodbye to one of the island’s most recognisable characters, while his family has chosen to focus attention on something he wanted to achieve himself.

The fundraising campaign for APAAC offers a way to honour his memory while supporting an organisation whose services are available free of charge to people affected by cancer and their families.

Tanit became part of Ibiza’s history through the way he lived.

Now, his final wish gives people a chance to add another chapter to that legacy.