HAVANA – Fidel Castro, the Cuban revolutionary leader who built a communist state on the doorstep of the United States and for five decades defied U.S. efforts to topple him, died on Friday. He was 90.
A towering figure of the 20th century and Cold War icon, Castro stuck to his ideology beyond the collapse of Soviet communism and remained widely respected in parts of the world that struggled against colonial rule.
Castro had been in poor health since an intestinal ailment nearly killed him in 2006. He formally ceded power to his younger brother, Raul, two years later.
Wearing a green military uniform, a sombre Raul Castro, 85, appeared on state television on Friday night to announce Fidel’s death, 60 years to the day since the two brothers and a few supporters left Mexico on a boat to bring revolution to Cuba.
“At 10:29 at night, the chief commander of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, died,” he said, without giving a cause of death.
“Ever onward, to victory,” he said, using the slogan of the Cuban revolution.
Reaction poured in from around the world.
“History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him,” U.S. President Barack Obama said, extending “a hand of friendship” to Cuba.
Obama’s elected successor, Donald Trump, said his administration would work to ensure the Cuban people “can begin their journey toward prosperity and liberty”, even though “the tragedies, deaths and pain caused by Fidel Castro cannot be erased”.
Trump’s Vice President-elect, Mike Pence, used blunter language about the late leader: “The tyrant Castro is dead. New hope dawns … Viva Cuba Libre!” he said on Twitter.
Venezuela’s leftist President Nicolas Maduro urged revolutionaries to follow Castro’s legacy, while Pope Francis said he was grieving and praying for the repose of the professed atheist, whom he met in Cuba last year.
China’s president, Xi Jinping, said “the Chinese people have lost a close comrade and a sincere friend”.
Raul Castro, who glorified his older brother, has changed Cuba since taking over by introducing market-style economic reforms and agreeing with the United States in December 2014 to re-establish diplomatic ties and end decades of hostility.
It remained unclear whether Trump would continue efforts to normalise relations with Cuba or fulfil a campaign promise to close the U.S. embassy in Havana once again.
Fidel Castro himself offered only lukewarm support for the 2014 deal with Washington, raising questions about whether he approved of ending hostilities with his longtime enemy.
He did not meet Barack Obama when he visited Havana earlier this year, the first time an American president had stepped foot on Cuban soil since 1928.
Days later, Castro wrote a scathing newspaper column condemning Obama’s “honey-coated” words and reminding Cubans of the U.S. efforts to overthrow and weaken the Communist government.
News of Castro’s death spread slowly among Friday night revellers on the streets of Havana. One famous club that was still open when word came in quickly closed.
Some residents reacted with sadness to the news.
“I’m very upset. Whatever you want to say, he is a public figure that the whole world respected and loved,” said Havana student Sariel Valdespino.
But in Miami, where many exiles from Castro’s government live, a large crowd waving Cuban flags cheered, danced and banged on pots and pans.
Castro’s body will be cremated, according to his wishes.
Cuba declared nine days of mourning, during which time the ashes will be taken to different parts of the country. A burial ceremony will be held on December 4.
The bearded Fidel took power in a 1959 revolution and ruled Cuba for 49 years with a mix of charisma and iron will, creating a one-party state and becoming a central figure in the Cold War.
He was demonised by the United States and its allies but admired by many leftists around the world, especially socialist revolutionaries in Latin America and Africa.
Nelson Mandela, once freed from prison in 1990, repeatedly thanked Castro for his efforts in helping to weaken apartheid.
In April, in a rare public appearance at the Communist Party conference, Fidel Castro shocked party apparatchiks by referring to his own imminent mortality.
“Soon I will be like all the rest. Our turn comes to all of us, but the ideas of the Cuban communists will remain,” he said.
Castro was last seen by ordinary Cubans in photos showing him talking to Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang this month. (Reuters)