Hugo Chávez, fiery Venezuelan leader, dies at 58

CARACAS -- Hugo Chávez was a fighter. The former paratroop commander and fiery populist waged continuous battle for his socialist ideals and outsmarted his rivals time and again, defeating a coup attempt, winning re-election three times and using his country's vast oil wealth to his political advantage.

Chávez arrived in Havana last Dec. 10 to undergo his fourth cancer operation in 18 months the next day, two months after winning re-election. It was the last time he would be seen in public. Chávez, 58, died yesterday in Caracas at 4:25 p.m. local time.

A self-described "subversive," Chávez fashioned himself after the 19th century independence leader Simón Bolívar and renamed his country the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. He called himself a "humble soldier" in a battle for socialism and against U.S. hegemony. He thrived on confrontation with Washington and his political opponents at home, and used those conflicts to rally his followers.

In Washington, President Barack Obama issued a statement saying, in part: "The United States reaffirms its support for the Venezuelan people and its interest in developing a constructive relationship with the Venezuelan government."

During more than 14 years as president, his leftist politics and grandiose style polarized Venezuelans. The barrel-chested leader electrified crowds with his booming voice, and won admiration among the poor with government social programs and a folksy, nationalistic style.

His opponents seethed at the larger-than-life character who demonized them on television and ordered the expropriation of farms and businesses.

Many in the middle class cringed at his bombast and complained about rising crime, soaring inflation and government economic controls.

Despite a souring relationship, Chávez kept selling the bulk of Venezuela's oil to the United States.

About 1,400 Venezuelans live on Long Island and 9,400 in New York City, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Before his struggle with cancer, he appeared on television almost daily, often speaking for hours and breaking into song or philosophical discourse. He often wore the bright red of his United Socialist Party of Venezuela, or the fatigues and red beret of his army days. He had donned the same uniform in 1992 while leading an ill-fated coup attempt that first landed him in jail, then launched his political career.

The rest of the world watched as the country with the world's biggest proven oil reserves took a turn to the left under its unconventional leader, who considered himself, above all else, a revolutionary.

"I'm still a subversive," Chávez told The Associated Press in a 2007 interview. "I think the entire world has to be subverted."

While billing himself as the heir of Bolívar, Chávez also was inspired by his mentor, Fidel Castro, and took on the Cuban's role as Washington's chief antagonist in the Western Hemisphere. Like Castro, Chávez vilified U.S.-style capitalism while forming alliances throughout Latin America and with distant powers such as Russia, China and Iran.