In 1986, Colón de Carvajal and his personal driver were killed by Basque separatist group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA), which had opened fire at the car they were travelling in and tossed a hand grenade inside, near Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, Spain. Along with the assassination of Carrero Blanco in 1973, he was the most prominent figure to have been assassinated by the organization.