Fidel Castro’s eldest son commits suicide

Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, the eldest son of the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, committed suicide Thursday after undergoing months of treatment for depression, according to state media reports. He was 68. The official Cubadebate website said Castro Diaz-Balart suffered from profound depression that required “an initial hospitalization then outpatient follow-up.” The nuclear scientist was often called “Fidelito,” or “Little Fidel,” because of his resemblance to his father. He was born to Fidel Castro’s first wife, Mirta Diaz-Balart, before his father joined to revolution that brought him and his brother Raúl to power. Castro Diaz-Balart served as scientific adviser to Cuba’s Council of State and as vice president of the Cuban Academy of Sciences. He also served as the head of the Cuban nuclear program. Fidel Castro died in November 2016 at age 90.