Eldest son of Fidel Castro dead of apparent suicide at 68

HAVANA, Cuba -- Cuba state media is reporting that the oldest son of late Cuban leader Fidel Castro has killed himself.

Official website Cubadebate says Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart took his life Thursday after months of treatment for a "deeply depressed state." He was 68.

The eldest son of Cuba's former leader was known for his distinctive beard and resemblance to his father.

A brief note read on state television said that his treatment had "required a hospitalization regime then outpatient follow-up."

Castro Diaz-Balart's mother was Mirta Diaz-Balart, a woman from Cuba's aristocracy who Castro married in his youth before beginning the revolutionary struggle that later brought him and his brother Raul to power.