Ramón Castro – the oldest and least known Castro brother – died on Tuesday at age 91. Unlike Fidel and Raúl, Ramón was not part of the guerrilla movement that led to the Cuban Revolution and the ousting of President Fulgencio Batista. Even though he dedicated his life to agriculture, according to The New York Times, he did help his brothers by sending them supplies as the revolution moved forward.
He also went on to serve in the parliament as deputy and was a founding member of the Communist Party of Cuba, but the Associated Press said that he “wielded little government power.” He founded a few state companies, such as one that dealt with the production of oranges.
Ramón may have had a striking physical resemblance to Fidel, who he preferred to think of his brother as his leader. “When I think about Fidel I think we should feel more humble. To have a brother like him. We wish to feel like any other Cuban,” he told the Washington Post in 1977. “I prefer to speak of him as my leader rather than my brother. I prefer to be modest. Revolution is one thing and the family is another. They are two separate businesses. In the first place, Fidel is head of the Cuban state. That is why we must be more modest.”
He also liked to brag about the Castro lifespan. His father lived until he was 82, and one of his aunts was more than 100 when she died. Currently, Fidel, Raúl, and Juanita Castro are in their 80s.