Fidel’s Older Sister Dead at 88

Via the Miami HeraldUnivision: Fidel Castro’s oldest sister dies in Havana at 88

Angela Maria Castro Ruz, 88, apparently died Tuesday. The cause of death is unknown. The Cuban government has not officially announced the death.

Juanita Castro, a sister of Cuban leaders who lives in Miami, reported the news on a local website, the station said.

"She died at dawn on Tuesday; she had been sick for a long time and had been in a hospital,” Juanita Castro said, according to the station.

Angela was the oldest of seven siblings: Ramon, Fidel, Raul, Juanita, Emma and Agustina.

For those curious:  Fidel is 85 and Raul is 80.

FILED UNDER: Latin America, World Politics,
Steven L. Taylor
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog). Follow Steven on Twitter

Comments

  1. Hmm. Briebart at 43, communists at 88 … makes you think.

  2. Rob in CT says:

    Who is in line after Raul?

  3. @Rob in CT: We hit the non-Castro era at that point. There are formal processes under the Cuban constitution, but I have to wonder as to how well the existing institutional hold up sans Fidel or Raul. One of the interesting questions is whether Raul and party leadership have made adequate and sustainable plans for that eventuality.

  4. Gold Star for Robot Boy says:

    Having lived in Florida for a few years, I had to snicker when I heard the Cuban expats’ ideas for a post-Fidel world. The seriously believe they’ll boat/fly over to Havana immediately after his death, head to their ancestors’ properties and say, “This once belonged to my family – everyone out, now.”

  5. @this:

    I will share the joke that Cubans are longer-lived because they live with (involuntary) caloric restriction.