" If surviving assassination attempts were an Olympic event , I would win the gold medal , " Castro liked to tell interviewers . His reputation as a cheater of death took hold early . As a young revolutionary he was reported dead twice by Cuba 's press -- " perishing life.die.nonviolentdeath " once when he led a failed uprising against a military barracks and again when he returned from exile by boat with a guerrilla force . Photos : Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies Fidel Castro exhales cigar smoke during a March 1985 interview at his presidential palace in Havana , Cuba . Castro died at age 90 on November 25 , 2016 , Cuban state media reported .