Fidel Castro Finds Comfort During His Final Days

It Comes From A Country Singer

     Heidi Hauge [above] was born in Skien, Norway on October 14, 1967. A mother of four, she is by far the best-selling Scandinavian country singer. All of her albums have become gold records. Her superb talent in perfect English comforts the final days of a legendary man. How that evolved is fascinating to me and will be to you.

       At age 86 and terminally ill, Fidel Castro is not suffering but he is quite weak. He does not believe he will be alive on New Year's Day, 2013. Many things these days clutter his effusive mind, with his most pleasant and most pertinent memories relating to the years 1957 - 1980 when he had Celia Sanchez by his side, first as a guerrilla fighter and then as the co-leader of Cuba from 1959 till her death from cancer on January 11, 1980. He remembers the decisive ten-day Battle of Jigue in July of 1958, the battle that finally convinced Dictator Batista and the United States that the revolution was indeed a serious threat. On the eve of that battle a Batista soldier, sent out as a sniper, fired a shot that grazed the rebel uniform of Celia Sanchez. She survived and the sniper did not but the thought of losing Celia Sanchez to that sniper bullet haunted Fidel Castro for the rest of the revolutionary war and, in the 1980s after her death from natural causes, that memory poignantly and everlastingly returned.

      Juan Almeida, the black Cuban second from the left between the Castro brothers in the above 1958 photo, was a top rebel Commander during the Revolutionary War. Prior to that he was a musician and would remain a lifelong song-writer. Even as a key leader, he devoted hours each day to music.

         From 1959 till his death on Sept. 11-2009 at age 82, General Juan Almeida was always one of the five most powerful men in Revolutionary Cuba. In the late 1980s Juan heard and loved the Willie Nelson-Ray Charles duet on a song entitled "Seven Spanish Angels." He played it for his friend Fidel Castro, believing it would soothe Fidel's continuing sorrow over the death of Celia Sanchez. Juan played the song three times that first day for Fidel and all three times, Juan would later recall, one particular chorus brought unabashed tears to Fidel's eyes. In the song written in 1984 by two great American song-writers, Troy Seals and Eddie Setser, the chorus that made Fidel cry was:

"There were seven Spanish Angels

At the alter of the sun.

They were praying for the lovers

In the valley of the gun.

And when the battle stopped,

And the smoke cleared, 

There was thunder from the throne.
And seven Spanish Angels
Took another angel home."

        In the years that followed, Juan Almeida and other Fidel Castro intimates were aware that the song "The Seven Spanish Angels" meant a lot to the Cuban leader, both in its English and Spanish versions. And all those intimates knew the song, especially that chorus, consumed Fidel Castro because it reminded him of Celia Sanchez and the decisive Battle of Jigue in July of 1958.

        Even American experts on Fidel Castro, like the conservative nationally syndicated columnist Georgie Anne Geyer [above], would understand how Fidel Castro could so easily become consumed by anything that reminded him of Celia Sanchez, including the memories that made him suicidal when she died.

        In her seminal biography of Fidel Castro, Georgie Anne Geyer devotes two gripping pages to Fidel's almost suicidal reaction to the death of Celia Sanchez on Jan. 11-1980, easily the saddest day of his life.

        The three prime guerrilla warriors [Haydee Santamaria, Celia Sanchez, and Fidel Castro from left to right above] formed such an incredible bond during the fighting in 1957 and 1958 that they came to idolize each other. And that would be so till the end of all their lives -- Celia's, then Haydee's, and soon Fidel's.

      And, indeed, in 1980 Haydee Santamaria committed suicide because of the death of Celia Sanchez. Cuban insiders, as hinted by Georgie Anne Geyer, well know that Fidel Castro in 1980 almost did what Haydee Santamaria did, and for the same reason. Fidel also remembered that on her deathbed Celia Sanchez had told him to "Live long, be brave, and marry Dalia."

      Dalia Soto del Valle [above] married Fidel Castro in 1980 and is the mother of five of his eight sons. Dalia -- who had been a teacher and secretary in Trinidad, Cuba -- also had been Celia Sanchez's dear friend. Neither Dalia nor Fidel would ever fail to heed any request Celia left behind. Celia's request that they marry was no exception.

        From 1980 till today Dalia has been a loving wife to Fidel, and particularly devoted to him [as indicated by the above photo] as he has aged. Dalia still caresses his memory of Celia Sanchez. She confided to an American female friend about Fidel's love of "Seven Spanish Angels," equating it to Celia Sanchez and the Battle of Jigue. Later, from the U. S., Dalia received a package from her American friend. A note inside said: "This is the best copy of an album that features the best version of Seven Spanish Angels. It's by a Norwegian lady named Heidi Hauge. If you let Fidel hear her sing Seven Spanish Angels, I believe he will give the Willie Nelson version a rest. Thank him for the puppy. Hug him for me. Love, Lucille."

       Above is the album that Lucille so thoughtfully sent Dalia. Song #6 is Heidi Hauge's version of "Seven Spanish Angels." Fidel was indeed blown away after he heard it. Thus Dalia transferred "Seven Spanish Angels" to an iPhone recorder that, complete with earphones, she gave Fidel. He now listens to Heidi Hauge sing "Seven Spanish Angels" every day. [P.S.: Prior to getting that interesting data from a Facebook "friend," I had never heard of Heidi Hauge. But I googled "Seven Spanish Angels by Heidi Hauge" and was listening to it five seconds later on You Tube. And yes, I discovered that Lucille and Fidel are right. Heidi Hauge has the greatest version of a great song -- "Seven Spanish Angels." And each day now it's the version that comforts an old man in Havana, Cuba.]

*The End*