Fidel Castro dismayed by death of Garcia Marquez, but in good health

CARACAS, April 24, 2014 (Xinhua) -- A woman reads the book "Strange Pilgrims: Twelve Stories" by late Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, in Caracas, Venezuela, on April 23, 2014.

April 27, 2014

HAVANA, April 25 (Xinhua/Sun) -- Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro was in good health despite that he had been dismayed over the death of Nobel Prize-winning Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, an official said on Friday.

"His health is fine, he is working hard on the things that he has paid attention to and of course he is very dismayed about the death of Garcia Marquez, who was his close friend," First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel told reporters after signing the condolence book at the Colombian embassy on the death of Garcia Marquez.

Castro, 87, maintained a personal friendship for decades with the Nobel laureate, author of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and a faithful admirer of Cuba and its revolution.

He has not made any public statements on the death of his friend, but sent a wreath to the famous writer's memorial service held in Mexico City.

Mostly, Castro has remained out of the public since 2006, when he suffered from a serious intestinal disease. He was succeeded as Cuban leader by his younger brother Raul Castro in 2008.

The Cuban president sent a message of condolences to Mercedes, the widow of Garcia Marquez, saying that Cuba has lost "a great friend, intimate and supportive," and describing his works as "immortal."