Fidel “Fidelito” Castro Diaz-Balart, the eldest son of Fidel Castro, died on Thursday. Cuban state media confirmed the 68-year-old took his own life.
Castro suffered depression in recent months, according to Cubadebate, a government-run website.
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Castro was the only child of Fidel Castro and his first wife, Mirta Diaz-Balart. His parents broke up before Castro took power, and Diaz-Balart’s family went into exile, reports CNN.
The Diaz-Balart family relocated to Miami, where they took prominent roles in the anti-Castro community. Castro’s cousin, Mario Diaz-Balart is a Republican Congressman from Florida.
Castro’s mother sent him back to Cuba to meet his father after he took power. He was never sent back, so his mother’s family believed he was kidnapped.
As a young boy, Castro was seen on television during his father’s famous interview with CBS News‘ Edward R. Murrow. He later lived in the Soviet Union and married a woman there.
According to the BBC, Castro studied as a nuclear physicist and was a scientific adviser to the Cuban Council of State. He was also vice president of Cuba’s Academy of Sciences. His official state biography notes he also wrote several books and attended international academic events.
When his uncle, Raul Castro, took over for his father in 2008, he named Castro his scientific adviser.
Castro’s father, Fidel Castro, died at 90 in November 2016. He was one of the most controversial and talked about figures of the 20th century, taking power after the Cuban Revolution in 1959. He remained president until 2008, when he handed power over to his brother, Raul Castro.
Castro had 10 siblings.
In December, the 86-year-old Raul Castro said he is still dedicated to giving power to a new president on April 19, 2018. Elections were pushed from March to April, with the government citing the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma in September as the reason for the delay. Miguel Diaz-Canel, Cuba’s First Vice-President, is expected to become the next president.
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