Earlier today it was announced Cuban revolutionary turned Communist-leader Fidel Castro had died, aged 90.
Although he had withdrawn from public life following a stroke over a decade ago, handing control of the country over to his brother Raul, the legacy of the man who reportedly survived 638 CIA assassination attempts continued to cast a shadow over the country and across the rest of the world.
While Cuba has declared nine days of national mourning, the response to his death has seen a range of views aired about a leader who once described capitalism as "filthy, gross and alienating" because it caused "war, hypocrisy and competition."
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Donald Trump's initial response was short and swift.
But now the president-elect has released a further statement, which is as inflammatory in nature as you would expect from him.
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"Today, the world marks the passing of a brutal dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades. Fidel Castro's legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights," he said.
"While Cuba remains a totalitarian island, it is my hope that today marks a move away from the horrors endured for too long, and toward a future in which the wonderful Cuban people finally live in the freedom they so richly deserve.
"Though the tragedies, deaths and pain caused by Fidel Castro cannot be erased, our administration will do all it can to ensure the Cuban people can finally begin their journey towards prosperity and liberty. I join the many Cuban Americans who supported me so greatly in the presidential campaign, including the Brigade 2506 Veterans Association that endorsed me, with the hope of one day soon seeing a free Cuba."
The statement is likely to inflame tensions between the two countries, with brother Raul Castro still at the helm of the island that sits just 90 miles from the coast of Florida.
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Meanwhile, many from the left have praised his achievements in office. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said that 'for all his flaws' he applauded Castro's leadership in bringing universal healthcare to the country and improving literacy rates, as well as his role in helping end apartheid in South Africa and "commitment to social justice."
Others have drawn attention to human rights abuses that have taken place under the country's dictatorship, including state-led persecution of 'homosexuals, religious believers, and deviants'.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin also weighed in on Castro, describing him as "the symbol of an era" and a "distinguished statesman."
Putin said Cuba under Castro's communist rule "served as an inspiring example for many countries and peoples."
"Fidel Castro was a sincere and reliable friend of Russia. He made an enormous contribution to the formation and development of Russian-Cuban relations, close strategic cooperation in all fields."
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The two men had met, alongside Fidel's brother Raul, at the beginning of a tour of Latin America undertaken by Putin in 2014, with a slew of agreements expanding cooperation signed between the two countries.
Castro was a major figure during the Cuban Missile Crisis when he allowed the Soviet regime to use the country as a missile base at the height of the Cold War. America had trained and financed counter-revolutionaries in the wake of the Cuban revolution, notably during the failed Bay of Pigs uprising, which saw a CIA-sponsored paramilitary group land and attempt to overthrow Castro's government.