Fidel Castro Sends Letter to Football Star Maradona Saying He Is Alive

Rumors of the death of the former Cuban president have been spreading in the media for several months now. But speculations were disposed by Fidel’s Castro personal letter to the football star Diego Maradona, who said he was alive and doing well.

MOSCOW, January 13 (Sputnik) — Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro sent Maradona a letter to dispose rumors about his death, according to the Latin American television network Telesur.

A video, depicting Maradona with a letter signed by Castro, was released on Sunday night. Cuba’s ex-president wrote that he was alive and doing well.

The former football player said that Fidel Castro’s four-page letter also touched upon such issues as global oil consumption and the release of three Cuban agents who had been held in the US for 16 years, AP reported.

"I'm very happy to know he's well," Maradona told journalists at the Havana airport as he prepared for a trip.

Rumors about Fidel Castro’s death began to circulate after he had not showed up in public for more than a year. Castro, 88, had to leave his presidential post in 2006 due to health problems and delegated power to his brother Raul. He successfully underwent a serious intestinal surgery, but remained in poor physical condition, according to McClatchy DC.