later divorce. Lataste-Burnham died in 2011 at the age of 91. In February 1967 he married high school Latin teacher Viola Victorine Harper (Viola Burnham), who also became involved in politics, serving as Vice President of Guyana under Desmond Hoyte. Viola died in 2003 at the age of 72. With Viola he had two daughters, Melanie and Ulele, and adopted a son, Kamana. Burnham was a Methodist. His hobbies included swimming and horse-riding, and he also enjoyed playing chess, billiards and patience. He also enjoyed cricket, tennis and fishing. Burnham lived in Castellani House from 1965 to 1985. During this time it was referred to as "The Residence". Personality After a meeting in 1962, Thomas J. Dodd described Burnham as "an intelligent, well-educated gentleman". by contrast, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., also in 1962, said that Burnham was regarded as "an unprincipled opportunist, racist and demagogue, only interested in personal power." Jessie Burnham described her brother as ambitious and manipulative. In a book by Neil L. Whitehead, it is claimed that Burnham was superstitious and engaged with obeah, employing an obeah advisor known as Mother Monica and devouring raw duck eggs and 100-year-old Chinese eggs to increase his potency or power. Death and burial Burnham died in Georgetown on 6 August 1985 at the age of 62, dying of heart failure during throat surgery. There are several sources that suggest that Forbes had heart problems in the years leading up to his death, and may have had diabetes. A man who worked for Burnham said he heard that the president had had a "heart scare" about 3 and a half years before his death. The throat surgery was conducted with the assistance of two specialists from Cuba. He was laid to rest in the Botanical Gardens a few days later. After his burial, Burnham's body was exhumed and transported to the Soviet Union to be preserved for permanent display. His body was returned to Guyana for his final burial a year later. The reason why Burnham was receiving throat surgery was never confirmed. It was suggested he may have had a polyp, or had throat cancer. There are also theories as to why Burnham's body was buried after being prepared for permanent open display. His body lies in Burnham's Mausoleum (built in 1986) in the Guyana Botanical Gardens in Georgetown. The Mausoleum is built mostly from reinforced concrete, with a floor