Who Is Fidel Castro's Family? Children, Wives, Sisters And Brothers Of Late Cuban Leader Mostly Stay Away From Public Eye

Fidel Castro, the revolutionary communist leader who was, at times regarded as the harsh father of Cuba, played the part of powerful matriarch to more than just the Cuban people. The late dictator had a large family that he attempted to keep from the public eye throughout his life.

Details of Castro's family life have re-surfaced following his death late Friday evening at 90 years old. The news of the late leader's life was delivered by his brother Raúl Castro, 85, who remains Cuba’s president and was named as his brother’s successor in 2008, Reuters reported Sunday.

Raúl Castro stepped into power after Fidel Castro began battling a serious illness in 2006 and he has lived in the public eye for some time. Yet when it has come to the late dictator's family, information regarding family ties and relationships have remained relatively under wraps.

Fidel Castro was born in 1926 and was one of many siblings. Some siblings were from Fidel Castro’s mother and father, while others were from his father’s first marriage, CBS Miami reported. Ramón Castro was an older brother, while Raúl Castro, the dictator’s successor, was younger. Other siblings included sisters Emma Castro, Juanita Castro and Augustina Castro.

Juanita Castro is noted for leaving Cuba in 1964 in exile. She has spoken out against Fidel Castro as a ruler, calling him a “monster” at one time.

Raúl Castro is the most well-known of the Castro family and remained close with Fidel Castro, while Ramón Castro, who passed away earlier this year, was a rancher and did not participate in the guerrilla movement alongside his brothers, the New York Times reported in February.

Recognized as Fidel Castro’s “official” son, Fidel, or Fidelito Castro, resides in Cuba as a nuclear scientist. He was the child of Fidel Castro and the Cuban ruler’s first wife, Mirta Diaz-Balart. The couple divorced in the 1950s.

Although Castro was widely known for a myriad of affairs with women throughout his lifetime, his most lasting relationship has been with Dalia Soto del Valle, The Associated Press reported. The two met during the ‘60s, although she was rarely seen in public with Fidel Castro over the decades they knew each other. Reports have allegedly claimed that the couple married in a civil ceremony in 1980, according to the AP. Fidel Castro fathered other children, including Alina Fernandez, Angel Castro Soto del Valle and Antonio Castro Soto del Valle, among others.