Cuban revolutionary leader, Fidel Castro, has died at 90.

Revolutionary communist leader and former president of Cuba, Fidel Castro, has died at 90.

He had been in poor health and suffering from intestinal issues since 2006.

Born in August 1926, Castro took power in 1959 after years of engaging in guerilla warfare against Batista regime.

He went on to lead the country for five decades.

Castro eventually stepped down as the country's leader in 2008, handing the role of President over to his younger brother, Raúl.

In 1961, two years into his presidency, Castro cut ties with the United States and largely closed the country to outsiders in what would become a 55-year-long stand-off that only ended earlier this year.

At the time of the stalemate, he said, "I find capitalism repugnant. It is filthy, it is gross, it is alienating... because it causes war, hypocrisy and competition."

The divisive figure was one of the most significant men in modern history, playing a central role in the Cold War. His close relationship with Russia (then the USSR) led to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 - an event which brought the world closer to nuclear war than it had ever been before, or has ever been since.

According to some figures, Castro managed to survive an astonishing 634 assassination plots and attempts made against him throughout his reigning period.

He is survived by two daughters and seven sons.

85-year-old Raúl Castro remains as President.