Fidel Castro speaks of death in address to Cuba's Communist Party

Cuba's former president Fidel Castro attends the closing ceremony of the seventh Cuban Communist Party (PCC) congress in Havana, Cuba, in this handout received April 19, 2016. Omara Garcia/Courtesy of AIN/Handout via REUTERS

HAVANA (Reuters) - Retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro emerged from seclusion on Tuesday to muse about death and provide encouragement to his followers, in a rare speech at the closing of a Communist Party congress in Havana.

"Soon I will be 90 years old," he said. "Soon I will be like all the rest. Everybody's turn comes," Castro, whose birthday is Aug. 13, told 1,300 party activists gathered at a Havana convention centre where he delivered countless, hours-long speeches during his rule.