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Thursday, Mar 7, 2013 10:34 PM UTC

Chavez last words: “Please don’t let me die”

Sad final words from the the Venezuelan leader who begged to keep living SLIDE SHOW

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Topics: slideshow, last words, Hugo Chavez, Death, obituary, Venezuela, ,

Chavez last words: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez speaks during a nationally televised speech in the Presidential Palace of Miraflores in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, April 26, 1999. (Credit: AP/Fernando Llano)

According to reports from a Venezuelan general, as Hugo Chavez passed away, he whispered, “I don’t want to die. Please don’t let me die.”

Gen. Jose Ornella told the AP that the president’s last words indicated how much “he loved his country” and wanted to keep living for it. Regardless of one’s opinion of the leader, his plea for life in his final moment is stirring, if not out of keeping with the strong political figure he cut.

His last words inspired us to recall some other famous and infamous last utterances — the stuff of fact and legend:

Famous and infamous last words

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  • Karl Marx: Appropriately for Chavez, Marx reportedly had little time for last words from accomplished men. On his death bed, when asked by his housekeeper if he had any last words, the great theorist replied, "Last words are for those fools who believe they have not yet said enough."

  • Gen. John Sedgwick:The final words of Civil War Union Gen. John Sedqwick perhaps go down in history for their hubris. He famously chastised his troops for trying to dodge Conferedate bullets shot from 1,000 yards away. "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance," he reportedly said before he was shot through the left eye and died.

  • OscarWilde: Lying on a cheap hotel bed in France, exiled and ill, Oscar Wilde maintained his wit to the last word. "This wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. Either it goes or I do," he said. And he went.

  • Steve Jobs: Jobs, who once memorably described death as "very likely the single best invention of life," departed this world with the mysterious utterance: "Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow."

  • James French: French, a convicted murderer put to death by electric chair in Oklahoma in 1966, had the famous last line, "How's this for your headline? 'French Fries.'"

  • Che Guevara: "I know you've come to kill me. Shoot, you are only going to kill a man," the revolutionary, steeped in legend, reportedly said.

  • J.M. Barrie: "To die would be an awfully big adventure," said Barrie's beloved creation, Peter Pan. But before Barrie himself died, aged 77, he reportedly uttered only, "I can't sleep."

  • Winston Churchill: "I'm bored with it all."

  • Spike Milligan: British comedy legend Milligan had the last laugh on his gravestome. Written in Gaelic, he had the phrase "I told you I was ill" inscribed.

  • Joan Crawford: When her housekeeper began to pray by her deathbed, the actress reportedly snapped, "Dammit ... Don't you dare ask God to help me."

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Natasha Lennard

Natasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon, covering non-electoral politics, general news and rabble-rousing. Follow her on Twitter @natashalennard, email nlennard@salon.com. More Natasha Lennard.

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Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

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  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

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