**One of the original protagonists of the Cuban revolution, Juan Almeida Bosque, has died of heart failure at the age of 82, according to state media.**Almeida was one of several vice-presidents in the Council of State under Raul Castro.
He was the only black commander in the Cuban leadership.
From a poor Havana neighbourhood, Almeida was in the group of guerrillas led by Fidel Castro which eventually seized power in Cuba in 1959.
As well as his post of vice-president, Almeida was a member of the powerful politburo of the Communist Party.
State-run media announced his death, declaring he would remain “in the hearts and minds of his compatriots”.
Sunday has been declared a national day of mourning.
Granma
Almeida reportedly became friends with Fidel Castro while studying at the University of Havana in 1952.
He participated in the failed 1953 assault on the Moncada military barracks in Santiago de Cuba, and was among those sent to jail.
Following an amnesty, the rebels were released and in 1956 they went to Mexico to regroup and prepare for a fresh assault.
He was on board the Granma boat when it sailed back to Cuba carrying the small group of fighters that would launch the insurrectionary campaign from the Sierra Maestra mountains.