Pinochet’s widow dies at age 98 after years in seclusion

By EVA VERGARA
Associated Press

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — 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. A son said Lucia Hiriart died Thursday surrounded by close relatives, six days after her 98th birthday. She had been admitted on several occasions this year to Chile’s military hospital, mainly affected by respiratory problems. Her husband died in 2006, on Dec. 10, his 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.