Havana, Cuba (CNN) Fidel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart, the eldest son of former Cuban President Fidel Castro, took his own life on Thursday, the island's state-run media reported.

He was 68 years old and had suffered from depression in recent months, according to the government website Cubadebate.

Fidel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart was both his father's namesake and cousin to the Miami exile politicians who bitterly opposed Castro. He had run Cuba's nuclear power program until a dispute with his father. Castro Díaz-Balart committed suicide today, per Cuban state media. — Patrick Oppmann CNN (@CNN_Oppmann) February 2, 2018

Tall and bearded like his father, Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart was the only child of the Cuban revolutionary leader and his first wife, Mirta Diaz-Balart.

The couple divorced before Castro took power in Cuba. Diaz-Balart's relatives went into exile, becoming prominent figures in Miami's anti-Castro exile community.

His cousin Mario Díaz-Balart is a Republican congressman in Florida and a staunch critic of the Cuban government.

Read More