Havana , Cuba ( CNN ) -- Former Cuban President Fidel Castro published a thinly-veiled complaint Tuesday that he is not being kept up to date on happenings in Cuba . In a short note signed by Castro , 87 , on the front page of the Cuban communist party daily Granma , Castro lamented that he was tardy in paying his respects at the passing of Eugenio George , the longtime coach of Cuba 's female volleyball team . George , 81 , died Saturday and was buried the next day , according to Castro 's note . `` Many comrades noticed the absence of a floral arrangement from us , '' Castro wrote . `` I always admired him but did not know of his passing until some hours later . '' During his 47 years in power , Castro was famous for his marathon speeches and micromanagement of Cuba 's economy and international affairs . But following a still-undisclosed intestinal illness in 2006 , Castro was forced to step down , eventually being replaced by his brother Raul as President in 2008 . Absent from public view for months at a time , Castro briefly returned to the spotlight in 2012 when he began to publish short `` reflections '' columns in the Cuban state press . But Castro stopped publishing the columns , which detailed varied topics such as the former leader 's interest in yoga and medicinal plants , after he said he no longer had time to write . Castro is still referred to as `` the historic leader '' of the Cuban revolution by the island 's state-run press and government officials say he is consulted before major decisions are taken . But in May , Bolivian President Evo Morales , a close ally to Cuba , told the Spanish language edition of the magazine Vanity Fair that Castro `` is n't aware of what 's going on any more . ''
Fidel Castro writes that he was tardy in paying respects after the death of a well-known coach . ` ` Comrades noticed the absence of a floral arrangement from us , '' writes the former leader . `" I did not want to be seen as an ungrateful person and so I sent my condolences by letter.