The eldest of five children, he often suffered from bouts of asthma, even while excelling as an athlete. His aggressive rugby playing is what got him the nickname 'Fuser' -- combining 'El Furibundo' ('The Raging') with his mother's surname, Serna.

His adolescence was ordinary, filled as it was with a passion for poetry and photography.
Photograph: Cuban municipal workers clean a monument dedicated to Che in downtown Havana. Photograph: Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images