Secrecy shrouded details of Fidel Castro's health

Cuban leader Fidel Castro would always laugh off speculation about his health.

With an athletic build, and physical stamina that lasted deep into his 70s, it seemed he would continue to rule for many more years.

Castro's own physician, a specialist in longevity, even suggested in 2004 that the leader could live to 140. "I am not exaggerating," Dr. Eugenio Selman said.

Quotes from Fidel Castro across more than 5 decades

Quotes from Fidel Castro:
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"Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me." — Oct. 16, 1953, at his trial for rebel attack that launched Cuban Revolution.
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"I am not interested in power nor do I envisage assuming it at any time. All that I will do is to make sure that the sacrifices of so many compatriots should not be in vain, whatever the future may hold in store for me." — Jan. 1, 1959, upon triumph of the revolution.