After years of seclusion, Lucia Hiriart, the widow of Chile's dictator president Augusto Pinochet, died at 98 on Thursday in her apartment.

Associated Press reported that Pinochet's widow, Lucia Hiriart, died in her residence located at Santiago's affluent La Dehesa neighborhood. Pinochet's son, Marco Antonio, confirmed her mother's death, saying that Hiriart died surrounded by her close relatives. Her death came six days after her birthday.

It was unclear what caused the death of Pinochet's widow. However, ABC News reported that the wife of the former president of Chile had been admitted several times this year in Chile's military hospital. The outlet further noted that Pinochet's widow was "mainly affected by respiratory problems."

Despite knowing that Hiriart experienced respiratory problems this year, The Guardian pointed out that the health of Pinochet's widow was treated as a "closely guarded secret."

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Crowds Celebrate the Death of Chile Dictator Augusto Pinochet's Widow

Upon learning the death of the widow of Chile's dictator president, crowds gathered to celebrate in Santiago's main plaza, the epicenter of months of protests in the previous year.

Some 200 people gathered in the central square of the said area to celebrate Hiriart's death. Most of the people who gathered in the square were reportedly young people born after democracy was reported in Chile.

The people reportedly waved up flags and improvised posters against the widow of Chile's former president.

Hiriart's death also came three days before the country held its second round of presidential elections. Chilean voters would have to choose between left-wing former student leader Gabriel Boric and far-right politician José Antonio Kast.

"Lucia Hiriart dies in impunity despite the deep pain and division she caused our country," Boric said.

Lucia Hiriart: The Wife of Chile's Dictator Augusto Pinochet

Lucia Hiriart is known through Chile for her strong character, as the widow influenced the decisions of her late husband on many occasions, such as who will Augusto Pinochet mount or appoint in the public office.

Because she was born from a wealthy family in the coastal city of Antofagasta, Pinochet's widow is also known for her expensive tastes in clothes and furnishings in her home.

According to reports, some people from Chile saw Hiriart as a philanthropist who dedicated her life to serving the Chileans. Others saw her as a symbol of dictatorship as she never showed or said any words of regret for the bloody legacy of her husband's dictatorship that resulted in at least 3,000 people dead.

In 2005, Pinochet's widow was accused, together with her son Marco Antonio, of complicity in $8.7 million tax fraud. She was also charged with embezzlement of public funds in 2007, along with her five children and 17 other people from the dictator's entourage.

Despite being charged, Chile's courts overturned the prosecutions for Hiriart and her family in both cases. In recent years before her death, Augusto Pinochet's widow was rarely seen in public. In 2015, Lucia Hiriart was seen attending a mass for her late husband, along with her five children.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

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