Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías, 58, has died after a long struggle with cancer. The controversial figure was the President of Venezuela since 1999. Read on for more details.

Hugo Chávez, controversial president of Venezuela, has passed away on Mar. 5 after a battle with cancer. The President had not been seen in public for several months due to his illness. Vice President Nicolas Maduro had been standing in for the ill leader. The Vice President announced President Chávez’s passing.

President Hugo Chávez’s Cancer Battle

President Chávez first announced his diagnosis with cancer in a televised address from Havana, Cuba on June 30, 2011, confirming that he was recovering from an operation on June 10, 2011 to remove an abscessed tumor with cancerous cells. On July 17, 2011, it was reported that he had returned to Cuba for further treatments.

On July 9, 2012, the president declared himself fully recovered from cancer, just three months before an election in which...