Pinochet's widow dies at age 98 after years in seclusion
ABC News
The widow of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet has died in the apartment where she led a secluded life in her final years, away from the luxuries and power she held during the military regime of 1973-1990
SANTIAGO, Chile -- The widow of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet died Thursday in the apartment where she led a secluded life in her final years, away from the luxuries and power she held during the military regime of 1973-1990, her family said.
Lucia Hiriart died at her home in Santiago's affluent La Dehesa neighborhood surrounded by close relatives, six days after her 98th birthday, her son Marco Antonio said. She had been admitted on several occasions this year to Chile's military hospital, mainly affected by respiratory problems.
Pinochet died in 2006, on Dec. 10, his 91st birthday.
Known for her strong character, Hiriart on many occasions influenced her husband's decisions on whom to appoint to public office. She was also known expensive tastes in clothes and in furnishing of her family's homes.