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Eldest son of Fidel Castro dies aged 68

February 2, 2018

The son of the leader of the Cuban revolution was widely known as "Fidelito" ("Little Fidel"). He had reportedly been suffering for months from depression before his apparent suicide.

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Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

The eldest son of late Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, killed himself on Thursday aged 68, Cuban media have reported.

"Castro Diaz-Balart, who had been attended by a group of doctors for several months due to a state of profound depression, committed suicide this morning," Cuba debate website said.

Fidel, also known as "Fidelito" ("Little Fidel"), had been suffering from depression for several months and was receiving treatment as an outpatient at the time of his death.

Read more: Cuba marks revolution with military parade, tribute to Fidel Castro

Soviet-trained physicist

Fidel, a nuclear physicist by training, was working as a vice-president of the Cuban Academy of Scientists before his death.

His scientific career began after studies in the Soviet Union and included a stint between 1980 and 1992 as head of the Cuban nuclear program.

Fidel's mother, Mirta Diaz-Balart, was a Cuban aristocrat briefly married to Fidel Castro before the revolutionary took control of the small Caribbean island and allied his government with the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Castro died on November 26, 2016 aged 90.

Read more: Cuba marks anniversary of Fidel Castro's death

amp/jm (Reuters, AP, dpa)