Mirta Díaz-Balart lived in Madrid and was the mother of “Fidelito” who committed suicide in 2018
14ymedio, Havana, July 6, 2024— Mirta Díaz-Balart, ex-wife of Fidel Castro and mother of their first child, died on Saturday in Madrid at the age of 95. Her grandson, Fidel Alejandro Castro Smirnov, a scientist with ties to the regime and resident of Cuba, announced her death on his X account. Castro Smirnov described his grandmother as “great woman” who retained a certain loyalty to her country and had an “extraordinary story.”
Born in Havana in 1928 and divorced from Castro in 1955, Díaz-Balart was a member of one of the most prominent families in pre-Castro Cuba. She studied philosophy and literature at the University of Havana where she met Castro, who was studying law. They honeymooned in Miami and New York in 1948. A year later their son Fidelito was born. He suffered from severe depression and committed suicide in 2018 in circumstances that remain murky.
The Díaz-Balart family was, and still is, deeply involved in politics. Mirta’s father, Rafael José Díaz-Balart, was mayor of Banes, a town in Holguín province where Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista was born. His brother Rafael was a member of the Cuban legislature from 1952 till 1956 and served in the Cuban government. He was opposed to Castro’s failed assault on the Moncada barracks and came to regret the amnesty the Batista government granted Castro and his comrades. Mirta’s nephews Mario and Lincoln have both served as Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
As his wife, Mirta was one of the few people allowed to visit Castro in prison. They separated, she said, not only because of his revolutionary activities but also because of his affair with the celebrated Naty Revuelta, who was also married at the time. Together, he and Revuelta had a daughter, Alina Fernández.
Castro and Mirta separated not only because of his revolutionary activities but also because of his affair with the celebrated Naty Revuelta
After her divorce, Díaz-Balart traveled to Mexico to gain custody