beard grew whiter. he still -- he outlived many critics. outlasted ten u.s. administrations. in the end, it was illness, not washington, that forced him to retire. passing cuba's leadership to his younger brother raul. in his last years, he appeared occasionally, mostly in photos looking frail. the times he tried to play the role of elder statesman but more and more he seems inconsequential. >> translator: the cuban government has slowly removed him from the scene. it would be one thing if he died july 31st 2006. instead his importance slowly faded. >> he insists that death was not something he feared. >> i have never been afraid of death. >> translator: i never been concerned about death. ifo owe not feel attached to