Fidel Castro makes rare comment on his health - CNN

Fidel Castro: My longevity down to fate not effort

By Patrick Oppmann, CNN

Updated 1553 GMT (2353 HKT) April 20, 2016

Fidel Castro exhales cigar smoke during a March 1985 interview at his presidential palace in Havana, Cuba. Castro died at age 90 on November 25, 2016, Cuban state media reported. Click through to see more photos from the life of the controversial Cuban leader who ruled for nearly half a century:
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Fidel Castro exhales cigar smoke during a March 1985 interview at his presidential palace in Havana, Cuba. Castro died at age 90 on November 25, 2016, Cuban state media reported. Click through to see more photos from the life of the controversial Cuban leader who ruled for nearly half a century:
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A portrait of Castro in New York in 1955. He was in exile after being released as part of a general amnesty for political prisoners in Cuba. Two years earlier, he and about 150 others staged an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the regime of Fulgencio Batista.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
A portrait of Castro in New York in 1955. He was in exile after being released as part of a general amnesty for political prisoners in Cuba. Two years earlier, he and about 150 others staged an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the regime of Fulgencio Batista.
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Castro with Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara during the early days of their guerrilla campaign in Cuba's Sierra Maestra mountains. Guevara, Castro and Castro's brother Raul organized a group of Cuban exiles that returned to Cuba in December 1956 and waged a guerrilla war against government troops.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro with Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara during the early days of their guerrilla campaign in Cuba's Sierra Maestra mountains. Guevara, Castro and Castro's brother Raul organized a group of Cuban exiles that returned to Cuba in December 1956 and waged a guerrilla war against government troops.
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Castro and his revolutionaries hold up their rifles in January 1959 after overthrowing Batista.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro and his revolutionaries hold up their rifles in January 1959 after overthrowing Batista.
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Crowds cheer Castro on his victorious march into Havana in 1959.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Crowds cheer Castro on his victorious march into Havana in 1959.
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Surrounded by rebels who came with him from the mountains, Castro gives an all-night speech.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Surrounded by rebels who came with him from the mountains, Castro gives an all-night speech.
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Castro, left, became Cuba's prime minister in February 1959. His brother Raul, right, was commander in chief of the armed forces.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro, left, became Cuba's prime minister in February 1959. His brother Raul, right, was commander in chief of the armed forces.
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During a visit to New York in 1959, Fidel Castro spends time with a group of children.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
During a visit to New York in 1959, Fidel Castro spends time with a group of children.
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American talk-show host Ed Sullivan interviews Castro on a taped segment in 1959.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
American talk-show host Ed Sullivan interviews Castro on a taped segment in 1959.
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Castro shakes hands with US Vice President Richard Nixon during a reception in Washington in 1959.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro shakes hands with US Vice President Richard Nixon during a reception in Washington in 1959.
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Castro addresses the UN General Assembly in September 1960.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro addresses the UN General Assembly in September 1960.
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Castro jumps from a tank in April 1961 as he arrives at Giron, Cuba, near the Bay of Pigs. That month, a group of about 1,300 Cuban exiles, armed with US weapons, made an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Castro.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro jumps from a tank in April 1961 as he arrives at Giron, Cuba, near the Bay of Pigs. That month, a group of about 1,300 Cuban exiles, armed with US weapons, made an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Castro.
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Castro announces general mobilization after the announcement of the Cuban blockade by President John F Kennedy in October 1962.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro announces general mobilization after the announcement of the Cuban blockade by President John F Kennedy in October 1962.
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Castro raises arms with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev during a four-week visit to Moscow in May 1963.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro raises arms with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev during a four-week visit to Moscow in May 1963.
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Castro in July 1964.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro in July 1964.
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Castro plays baseball in 1964.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro plays baseball in 1964.
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Castro addresses thousands of Cubans in Havana in 1968.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro addresses thousands of Cubans in Havana in 1968.
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In 1977, Castro uses a map as he describes the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion to ABC correspondent Barbara Walters.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
In 1977, Castro uses a map as he describes the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion to ABC correspondent Barbara Walters.
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Iraq's Saddam Hussein, center, with the Castro brothers during a visit to Cuba in January 1979.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Iraq's Saddam Hussein, center, with the Castro brothers during a visit to Cuba in January 1979.
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Castro greets Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Havana in April 1989.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro greets Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Havana in April 1989.
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Castro visits Paris in March 1995.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro visits Paris in March 1995.
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Castro meets with Pope John Paul II on an airport tarmac in Havana in January 1998. It was the first papal visit to Cuba.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro meets with Pope John Paul II on an airport tarmac in Havana in January 1998. It was the first papal visit to Cuba.
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Castro puts his arm around South African President Nelson Mandela in May 1998 with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, left, and Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. They were in Geneva, Switzerland, for a conference of the World Trade Organization.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro puts his arm around South African President Nelson Mandela in May 1998 with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, left, and Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. They were in Geneva, Switzerland, for a conference of the World Trade Organization.
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Castro welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin to Cuba in December 2000. Putin was the first Russian President to visit Cuba since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin to Cuba in December 2000. Putin was the first Russian President to visit Cuba since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
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Castro is helped by aides after he appeared to faint while giving a speech in Cotorro, Cuba, in June 2001. He returned to the podium less than 10 minutes later to assure the audience he was fine and that he just needed to get some sleep.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro is helped by aides after he appeared to faint while giving a speech in Cotorro, Cuba, in June 2001. He returned to the podium less than 10 minutes later to assure the audience he was fine and that he just needed to get some sleep.
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In July 2001, Castro talks with Elian Gonzalez, the young boy who was the focus of a bitter international custody dispute a couple of years earlier.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
In July 2001, Castro talks with Elian Gonzalez, the young boy who was the focus of a bitter international custody dispute a couple of years earlier.
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Castro and former US President Jimmy Carter listen to the US national anthem after Carter arrived in Havana for a visit in May 2002.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro and former US President Jimmy Carter listen to the US national anthem after Carter arrived in Havana for a visit in May 2002.
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Castro at the May Day commemoration of Revolution Square in Havana in 2004. He held tightly to his belief in a socialist economic model and one-party Communist rule, even after the Soviet Union's end and most of the rest of the world concluded state socialism was an idea whose time had passed.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro at the May Day commemoration of Revolution Square in Havana in 2004. He held tightly to his belief in a socialist economic model and one-party Communist rule, even after the Soviet Union's end and most of the rest of the world concluded state socialism was an idea whose time had passed.
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Castro, left, and his brother Raul attend a session of the Cuban parliament in July 2004.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro, left, and his brother Raul attend a session of the Cuban parliament in July 2004.
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Castro speaks in Havana in February 2006.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro speaks in Havana in February 2006.
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Castro in Havana in September 2002. Several surgeries forced him to relinquish his duties temporarily to younger brother Raul in July 2006.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro in Havana in September 2002. Several surgeries forced him to relinquish his duties temporarily to younger brother Raul in July 2006.
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In footage from state-owned Cuban television, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez visits an ailing Castro in September 2006. That July, it was announced that Castro was undergoing intestinal surgery. Castro resigned as President in February 2008, and his brother Raul took over permanently.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
In footage from state-owned Cuban television, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez visits an ailing Castro in September 2006. That July, it was announced that Castro was undergoing intestinal surgery. Castro resigned as President in February 2008, and his brother Raul took over permanently.
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Castro smiles before delivering a speech in Havana in September 2010. He had remained mostly out of sight after falling ill in 2006 but returned to the public light that year.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro smiles before delivering a speech in Havana in September 2010. He had remained mostly out of sight after falling ill in 2006 but returned to the public light that year.
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Pope Benedict XVI meets with Castro in Havana in March 2012.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Pope Benedict XVI meets with Castro in Havana in March 2012.
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In this picture provided by CubaDebate, Castro talks to Randy Perdomo, president of Cuba's University Students Federation, during a February meeting in Havana.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
In this picture provided by CubaDebate, Castro talks to Randy Perdomo, president of Cuba's University Students Federation, during a February meeting in Havana.
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Castro visits with 19 cheese masters on Friday, July 3, 2015, in a rare trip outside his Havana home.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Castro visits with 19 cheese masters on Friday, July 3, 2015, in a rare trip outside his Havana home.
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Leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, left, visits with Fidel Castro during a meeting at Castro's home on February 14, 2016.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
Leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, left, visits with Fidel Castro during a meeting at Castro's home on February 14, 2016.
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Story highlights

  • Fidel Castro: "Soon I will turn 90 years old. ... It's not the outcome of any effort; it was fate's whim"
  • His younger brother, Raul Castro, is re-elected as head of the Cuban Communist Party

Havana, Cuba (CNN)Fidel Castro on Tuesday once again did what no else in Cuba can and addressed his mortality.

"Soon I will turn 90 years old, never would such a thing have occurred to me and it's not the outcome of any effort; it was fate's whim," Castro said, discussing his health, usually a taboo subject on the island. "Soon I will be like everyone else. To all of us comes our turn."
    Castro's unprecedented comments came at the end of the three-day Cuban Communist Party Congress where his younger brother, Raul Castro, was re-elected as head of the party, the only political organization allowed in Cuba.
      A gaunt and hoarse-sounding Fidel Castro was shown on Cuban State-TV in a blue tracksuit and seated on stage next to Raul Castro while receiving thunderous applause from the party faithful.
      Members of the international news media were not given access to the Party Congress, which only happen roughly every five years and plots the future of the island's political establishment and beleaguered economy.
      Read More

      Near death illness

        Castro resigned as President and head of the party after a 2006 intestinal illness nearly killed him.
        Fidel Castro comments on his longevity
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        Fidel Castro comments on his longevity 01:28
        Cuban officials say Castro no longer sets government policy but that he is consulted before major decisions are taken by the island's communist-run government.
        But the former leader's pronouncements on world affairs still carry weight in Cuba's state-run media.
        In March, a column written by Fidel Castro blasted President Barack Obama's visit to the island, saying the American's words had been so sugary they nearly gave Castro "a heart attack."
        During this month's party congress, top Cuban officials echoed Castro's words, accusing Obama of trying to "seduce" Cuban youths and private entrepreneurs and that the United States is still Cuba's "enemy."
        OPINION: New hope for Cuba
        Although Raul Castro, 84, began the party congress calling for a 70-year age limit for Cuban officials, on Tuesday he accepted another five-year term as party head.
        That would mean Castro would continue as party communist secretary until 2021. He has said he will step down as President of Cuba in 2018 and that the next generation of Cubans will take over running the island.
        But the Congress made clear that Cuban officials will stay true to Fidel Castro's vision of a government that exercises tight control over the island's political system and economy.
        "This may be among the last times I address this room," Fidel Castro told the 1,000 delegates.
          "But the ideas of Cuba's communists will remain as proof that on this planet if one works with fervor and dignity, you can produce the material and cultural things that human beings need," he said.
          Castro blasts Obama's trip