Juanita Castro, Fidel's Sister Recruited by CIA, Dies in US

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro's younger sister—and one of his fiercest critics— has died in Miami aged 90.

Juanita Castro, who was the fourth child of seven siblings, fled Cuba for Florida in 1964 after accusing her brother of turning the island into "an enormous prison surrounded by water." She went on to work with the CIA, using the codename "Donna," to try to bring about his downfall.

Fidel Castro, who was also 90 when he died in November 2016, was a towering figure of the 20th century who helped shaped American politics after the Cuban revolutionary built a communist state on the doorstep of the U.S.

His alliance with Moscow fueled the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, a 13-day showdown with the U.S. that brought the world the closest it has ever been to nuclear war. He went on to rule the country for decades, but ceded power to his brother Raul Castro in 2006 due to his ailing health. Raul Castro was later succeeded by Miguel Díaz-Canel in 2018.

Juanita Castro broke ranks with her powerful family by opposing Fidel Castro and she often spoke out publicly against his rule. Although she did express some sadness upon hearing of her brother's death, she insisted she would never return to her homeland.

Journalist María Antonieta Collins, co-author of Juanita Castro's memoir, announced news of her subject's death on Instagram on Monday.

A translation of her post, which was written in Spanish, reads: "This is the news that I never wanted to give, but that, as her spokesperson in the last three decades of her life, I have to communicate.

"Today, at 90 years of age, Juanita Castro went ahead of us on the path of life and death, an exceptional woman, a tireless fighter for the cause of her Cuba."

The family requested privacy, and would not be giving interviews, she added. The funeral would be private.

"We ask for your prayers for the eternal rest of her soul," the post ended.

Her cause of death has not been made public.

Juanita Castro obtained U.S. citizenship in 1984 and opened a pharmacy in Miami. She worked at the store for years before selling it to CVS in 2006.

In her memoir, My Brothers Fidel and Raul, the Secret History, she wrote that she found her life as a Cuban exile in Florida particularly challenging given her links to the country's rulers.

"Undoubtedly, I have suffered more than the rest of the exiles, because nowhere along the Straits of Florida do they give me respite and few are those who understand the paradox of my life," she wrote.

"For those in Cuba, I am a deserter because I left and denounced the regime in place. For many in Miami, I am 'persona non grata' because I am the sister of Fidel and Raul."