Official website Cubadebate said Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart had been in a "deeply depressed state." A brief note read on state television said his treatment had "required an initial hospitalization then outpatient follow-up."
The oldest son of Cuba's late revolutionary leader was known for his resemblance to his father, earning him the nickname Fidelito or Little Fidel.
Castro Diaz-Balart studied nuclear physics in the former Soviet Union and served as scientific adviser to Cuba's Council of State. He was vice president of the Cuban Academy of Sciences. He previously led its nuclear program.
Castro Diaz-Balart was born to Fidel Castro's first wife, Mirta Diaz-Balart, a woman from Cuba's aristocracy who Fidel married in his youth before beginning the revolutionary struggle that later brought him and his brother Raul to power.
Because of his maternal lineage, Castro Diaz-Balart is cousin to Republican Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, who represents Cuban exiles in Florida.
Fidel Castro, the father, died in November 2016 at age 90.
Who Is Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart? Oldest Son of Deceased Leader Fidel Castro Committed Suicide
Fidel Castro Diaz Balart, 68, had been in a deep depressive condition, local website Cubadebate indicated.
He was being assisted by a group of doctors and his treatment “required
a hospitalization regime then outpatient follow-up,” according to local
reports.
The
announcement reportedly stunned Cubans on the island, where the press
rarely provide detailed information about death causes, especially when
it comes to suicide cases, according to BBC Mundo.
Castro
Díaz-Balart was known as “Fidelito” or “Little Fidel,” because he had a
resemblance to his father and donned a similar beard. He was born in
1949 and became the only son of Fidel Castro and Mirta Díaz Balart’s
brief marriage. After their divorce, Mirta Díaz Balart did not get
custody of “Fidelito.”
Castro
Díaz-Balart never assumed a political post under the Castro regime. At
the time of his demise, he was the vice president of the island’s
Science Academy and also served as scientific advisor for the Council
State. “During his professional activity, entirely dedicated to science,
he earned international and national recognition,” Cubadebate added.
He was married to María Victoria Barreiro and had three children from his previous marriage—Fidel Antonio Castro Smirnov, Mirta María Castro Smirnova and José Raúl Castro Smirnov.
Castro
Díaz Balart was the cousin of Mario Díaz-Balart—a Republican
Representative from Florida who is a staunch critic of the Castro
regime—as well as former Congressman Lincoln Díaz-Balart and Telemundo
anchorman José Díaz-Balart.
Cuban leader Fidel Castro (1926-2016) established the first
communist state in the Western Hemisphere after leading an overthrow of
the military dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959. He ruled over
Cuba for nearly five decades, until handing off power to his younger
brother Raúl in 2008. During that time, Castro’s regime was successful
in reducing illiteracy, stamping out racism and improving public health
care, but was widely criticized for stifling economic and political
freedoms. Castro’s Cuba also had a highly antagonistic relationship with
the United States–most notably resulting in the Bay of Pigs invasion
and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The two nations officially normalized
relations in July 2015, ending a trade embargo that had been in place
since 1960, when U.S.-owned businesses in Cuba were nationalized without
compensation. Castro died on November 25, 2016, at 90.
Fidel Castro: Early Years
Castro was born on August 13, 1926, in Birán, a small town in eastern
Cuba. His father was a wealthy Spanish sugarcane farmer who first came
to the island during the Cuban War of Independence (1895-1898); his
mother was a domestic servant for his father’s family who bore him out
of wedlock. After attending a couple of Jesuit schools–including the
Colegio de Belén, where he excelled at baseball–Castro enrolled as a law
student at the University of Havana. While there, he became interested
in politics, joining the anti-corruption Orthodox Party and
participating in an aborted coup attempt against the brutal Dominican
Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo.
In 1950, Castro graduated from the University of Havana and opened a law office. Two years later, he ran for election to the Cuban House of Representatives. The election never happened, however, because Batista seized power that March. Castro responded by planning a popular uprising. “From that moment on, I had a clear idea of the struggle ahead,” he said in a 2006 “spoken autobiography.”
In 1950, Castro graduated from the University of Havana and opened a law office. Two years later, he ran for election to the Cuban House of Representatives. The election never happened, however, because Batista seized power that March. Castro responded by planning a popular uprising. “From that moment on, I had a clear idea of the struggle ahead,” he said in a 2006 “spoken autobiography.”
Castro’s Revolution Begins
In July 1953, Castro led about 120 men in an attack on the Moncada
army barracks in Santiago de Cuba. The assault failed, Castro was
captured and sentenced to 15 years in prison, and many of his men were
killed. The U.S.-backed Batista, looking to improve his authoritarian
image, subsequently released Castro in 1955 as part of a general
amnesty. Castro ended up in Mexico, where he met fellow revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara and plotted his return.
The following year, Castro and 81 other men sailed on the yacht “Granma” to the eastern coast of Cuba, where government forces immediately ambushed them. The estimated 18 survivors, including Castro, his brother Raúl and Guevara, fled deep into the Sierra Maestra Mountains in southeastern Cuba with virtually no weapons or supplies.
According to Castro, the revolutionaries started reorganizing with
only two rifles,. But by early 1957 they were already attracting
recruits and winning small battles against Rural Guard patrols. “We’d
take out the men in front, attack the center, and then ambush the rear
when it started retreating, in the terrain we’d chosen,” Castro said in
his spoken autobiography. In 1958, Batista tried to snuff out the
uprising with a massive offensive, complete with air force bombers and
naval offshore units. The guerrillas held their ground, launched a
counterattack and wrested control from Batista on January 1, 1959.
Castro arrived in Havana a week later and soon took over as prime
minister. At the same time, revolutionary tribunals began trying and
executing members of the old regime for alleged war crimes.
The following year, Castro and 81 other men sailed on the yacht “Granma” to the eastern coast of Cuba, where government forces immediately ambushed them. The estimated 18 survivors, including Castro, his brother Raúl and Guevara, fled deep into the Sierra Maestra Mountains in southeastern Cuba with virtually no weapons or supplies.
Castro’s Rule
In 1960, Castro nationalized all U.S.-owned businesses, including oil
refineries, factories and casinos. This prompted the United States to
end diplomatic relations and impose a trade embargo that still stands
today. Meanwhile, in April 1961, about 1,400 Cuban exiles trained and
funded by the CIA landed near the Bay of Pigs with the intent of
overthrowing Castro. Their plans ended in disaster, however, partially
because a first wave of bombers missed their targets and a second air
strike was called off. Ultimately, more than 100 exiles were killed and
nearly everyone else was captured. In December 1962, Castro freed them
in exchange for medical supplies and baby food worth about $52 million.
Castro publicly declared himself a Marxist-Leninist in late 1961. By that time, Cuba was becoming increasingly dependent on the Soviet Union for economic and military support. In October 1962, the United States discovered that nuclear missiles had been stationed there, just 90 miles from Florida, setting off fears of a World War III. After a 13-day standoff, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the nukes against the wishes of Castro, who was left out of the negotiations. In return, U.S. President John F. Kennedy publicly consented not to reinvade Cuba and privately consented to take American nuclear weapons out of Turkey.
Castro publicly declared himself a Marxist-Leninist in late 1961. By that time, Cuba was becoming increasingly dependent on the Soviet Union for economic and military support. In October 1962, the United States discovered that nuclear missiles had been stationed there, just 90 miles from Florida, setting off fears of a World War III. After a 13-day standoff, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the nukes against the wishes of Castro, who was left out of the negotiations. In return, U.S. President John F. Kennedy publicly consented not to reinvade Cuba and privately consented to take American nuclear weapons out of Turkey.
Cuban Life under Castro
After taking power, Castro abolished legal discrimination, brought
electricity to the countryside, provided for full employment and
advanced the causes of education and health care, in part by building
new schools and medical facilities. But he also closed down opposition
newspapers, jailed thousands of political opponents and made no move
toward elections. Moreover, he limited the amount of land a person could
own, abolished private business and presided over housing and consumer
goods shortages. With political and economic options so limited,
hundreds of thousands of Cubans, including vast numbers of professionals
and technicians, left Cuba, often for the United States.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, Castro supplied military and financial aid to various leftist guerilla movements in Latin America and Africa. Nonetheless, relations with many countries, with the notable exception of the United States, began to normalize. Cuba’s economy foundered when the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s and the United States expanded sanctions even further. Yet Castro, who by this time had switched his title from prime minister to president, found new trading partners and was able to cling to power until 2006, when he temporarily gave control of the government to Raúl after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery. Two years later, in 2008, he permanently resigned.
In 2015, U.S. and Cuban officials announced they had agreed to terms on the normalization of relations between the two nations, with mutual embassies and diplomatic missions opening in each country.
Castro died on November 25, 2016, at the age of 90. His death was announced on state television and later confirmed by his brother Raúl. Castro will be laid to rest in the city of Santiago de Cuba.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, Castro supplied military and financial aid to various leftist guerilla movements in Latin America and Africa. Nonetheless, relations with many countries, with the notable exception of the United States, began to normalize. Cuba’s economy foundered when the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s and the United States expanded sanctions even further. Yet Castro, who by this time had switched his title from prime minister to president, found new trading partners and was able to cling to power until 2006, when he temporarily gave control of the government to Raúl after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery. Two years later, in 2008, he permanently resigned.
In 2015, U.S. and Cuban officials announced they had agreed to terms on the normalization of relations between the two nations, with mutual embassies and diplomatic missions opening in each country.
Castro died on November 25, 2016, at the age of 90. His death was announced on state television and later confirmed by his brother Raúl. Castro will be laid to rest in the city of Santiago de Cuba.
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