Fidel Castro’s Eldest Son Kills Himself, Cuban Media Says

Fidel Angel Castro Díaz-Balart, a nuclear physicist who was the oldest son of former Cuban President Fidel Castro, died Thursday, Cuban state media reported. He was 68.

Castro Díaz-Balart, who had been under treatment for a deep depression for several months, killed himself, according to a report in the newspaper Granma. He had been undergoing outpatient treatment after being hospitalized.

Bearing a close resemblance to his father, Castro Díaz-Balart, known as Fidelito, was the only son of the president and his first wife, Mirta Díaz-Balart. At the time of his death, he was a science adviser to Cuba’s Council of States and vice president of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba.

Castro Díaz-Balart led Cuban delegations to conferences around the world, including to the March 2016 meeting of the American Physical Society, where he spoke on physics and physicists in Cuba.

Cousins on his mother’s side include Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart and former Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart, Florida Republicans and staunch anti-communists.