Nate Berkusis paying tribute to his late partner to mark what would have been his 54th birthday.
His family released a statement soon after saying, “Based on all of the information we have gathered and the search team’s extraordinary efforts, we still have not heard any word of Fernando. Therefore, it is with great sadness, we are forced to presume Fernando died in the tsunami.”
“It’s been almost 15 years since the tsunami, when we lost Fernando. Every day I think of him, but especially today on his birthday,” Berkuswrote on Instagram.
Fernando Bengoechea.Nate Berkus/Instagram. Inset: Gary Gershoff/WireImage
The designer shared an old snapshot of Fernando and an image of the woven artwork made from his photography. The image of a Joshua tree is similar to one Berkus displays in his own home and can be seen in his former Chicago apartment, published inElle Decor in 2008,and his former New York home inArchitectural Digestin 2012.
Berkus wrote candidly abouthis life after the tsunamiin 2005, recalling that the year began with him “lying in my bed, unable to eat, unable to string a sentence together.” It wasn’t until nine-and-a-half months later that he says he found a “new normal” and wasn’t solely focussed on grief.
Nate Berkus.Christopher Dibble Photography
Remembering a celebration at his home, he wrote, “My best friend had organized the evening, my best friend who had flown to London to save me. Fernando’s ex-boyfriend of seven years was at the table too. They were laughing and smiling. I was laughing and smiling too. He was a stranger to me before the tsunami. Now he is my brother.”
Berkusmarried designer Jeremiah Brentin 2014 and the couple now shares two children,Poppy, 4, andOskar Michael, 1. Oskar’s name is also a tribute to Fernando.
Ashley Burns Photography
“[Fernando’s] middle name was Oskar,” Berkus, 47, told PEOPLE exclusively of the poignant inspiration in April 2018 — and what’s more surprising, the tribute “was actually Jeremiah’s idea.”
“We have always honored Fernando’s memory in our relationship. He’s a part of our love story,” explains Brent, 34. “It’s such an important chapter in Nate’s life. So the idea that we can honor his memory in a beautiful way was exciting to us.”
Fernando Bangoechea’s woven photographs are available onfernandobengoechea.com
source: people.com
