’First Lady’ of Cuba Dies

Photo of Vilma Espin, the ‘first lady’ of Cuba, courtesy of the BBC

BBC: Vilma Espin, wife of Cuba's acting president Raul Castro, has died in Havana, aged 77, state TV reports.

She was a key figure in the Cuban revolution and the long-standing head of the Cuban Women's Federation, which works to advance women's rights.

Born into a wealthy family, she fought as a guerrilla alongside Fidel Castro and his younger brother Raul in the Sierra Maestra mountains.

She married Raul in early 1959 and was often described as Cuba's "first lady".

Espin reportedly died after a long battle with illness. Cuba’s ‘first lady’ dies aged 77 (more)

Mark Alexander