President Hugo Chavez dies at 58; hero to Venezuela's poor

CARACAS, Venezuela —Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the charismatic socialist whose Bolivarian Revolution reduced poverty and galvanized anti-American sentiment across Latin America but left his nation deeply polarized and ever more dependent on oil dollars, died Tuesday in Caracas after a nearly-two-year battle with cancer. He was 58.

By Chris Kraul and Mery Mogollon, Los Angeles Times

March 5, 2013