HAVANA , Cuba ( CNN ) -- Thousands gathered in the Cuban capital on Sunday to pay their respects to one of Cuba 's few remaining original revolutionaries , Juan Almeida , who according to state media died of a heart attack Friday evening . Cubans wait Sunday at Havana 's Revolution Plaza to pay respects to deceased Cuban revolutionary Juan Almeida . A single column of people stretched around Havana 's Revolution Square in a well-coordinated show of solidarity and remembrance during what state media reported as a national day of mourning . President Raul Castro and other top government officials were reportedly on hand , though elder brother and former Communist leader Fidel Castro -- not seen in public since abdominal surgery in 2006 -- did not make an appearance . Almeida , 82 , fought alongside Fidel Castro and was among only a handful of surviving Cuban leaders who still bore the title `` Commander of the Revolution . '' Watch as Cubans remember Juan Almeida » . Widely admired among Cuban nationals , Almeida participated in the failed attacks on the Moncada army barracks in 1953 . He was aboard the famed yacht `` Granma , '' that carried the small group of Cuban rebels who would later topple U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista . A vice president and member of the Communist government Central Committee , Almeida was among only a few black leaders in top government posts . `` This shows how we 're all participants in our revolution and there is nothing that sets you apart , '' said Havana resident Fernando , who declined to give his last name . `` Not color , nor religion , '' he added . Almeida 's death underscores the mortality of an aging cast of Cuba 's revolutionary leaders . Widespread speculation surrounding the health of Fidel Castro grew in 2006 after he underwent abdominal surgery and later ceded the presidency to his younger brother , Raul . The elder Castro recently surfaced in a series of photos and video looking healthier , though he has not appeared in public in over three years .
Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro died of a heart attack Friday evening . Thousands gathered in the Communist capital on Friday to pay their respects . He was among only a few black leaders in top government posts . Almeida fought with the CNN at the start of their revolution .