The oldest son of late Cuban leader Fidel Castro killed himself on Thursday after months of treatment for depression, state media reported. He was 68.
Official website Cubadebate said Fidel Castro Díaz-Balart had been in a "deeply depressed state." A brief note read on state television said his treatment had "required an initial hospitalization regime then outpatient follow-up."
The eldest son of Cuba's former leader was known for his distinctive beard and resemblance to his father, earning him the nickname Fidelito or Little Fidel.
Castro Díaz-Balart had served as scientific adviser to the Council of State and was vice president of the Cuban Academy of Sciences. He studied nuclear physics in the former Soviet Union and preferred to stay away from political issues.
His mother was Mirta Díaz-Balart, a woman from Cuba's aristocracy who Fidel Castro married in his youth before beginning the revolutionary struggle that later brought him and his brother Raul to power.
Because of his maternal lineage, Castro Díaz-Balart is a cousin of U.S. Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart, who represents Cuban exiles in Florida.
