He traveled to Havana, Cuba where he underwent a surgical operation to remove a malignant cancerous tissue mass 'about the size of a baseball' from his waist.

Following the presidential election in October 2012 (where he was re-elected to a fourth term), he went to Cuba for more treatment and then returned to Venezuela and stayed at a Caracas army hospital.

The head of the presidential guard said Chávez died of a massive heart attack after great suffering and had inaudibly mouthed his desire to live.

Although pro-Chávez supporters attacked and burned tents of students who had camped demanding more official information about Chávez's health, there were no reported injuries.

[1] Defence Minister Diego Morelo Bellavia[4] said that the "Bolivarian" armed forces would be loyal to the vice president and National Assembly and urged supporters and opposition to remain calm.

[2] After defecting from Venezuela, former bodyguard for Chávez, Leamsy Salazar, stated that he died in December 2012, nearly three months before the 5 March 2013 date was officially announced.

[5] In July 2018, former Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz also said that Chávez had actually died in December 2012 and the announcement of his death was delayed for political reasons.

[6] The supposed delay in announcing Chávez's death raised concerns that laws signed in his name during that period were forged for political purposes.

With a mixture of joy and sadness Chávez supporters shared their impressions after him a last farewell: "That man emanates a force forward and his face says my people.".

[7] People left work for the day upon hearing the news, shops and offices shut and cars and buses filled the streets.

[8] Opposition leader and opponent in the 2012 election, Henrique Capriles, called on the government to "act in strict accordance with its constitutional duties."

[2] Acting President Nicolás Maduro said he believed Chávez was assassinated by Venezuela's "historical enemies" (widely assumed to mean the United States), and that a "scientific commission" would investigate this possibility.

Secretary General of Organization of American States José Miguel Insulza ordered the body's flags to be flown at half-mast and the convening of a special meeting of the Permanent Council in memory of Chávez.

[27][28] Ramotar and Honduran president Porfirio Lobo praised Chávez for his contribution to regional integration; the National Congress of Honduras addressed a minute of silence.

[18] Suggestions of American foul play,[1][35] implying that Chávez had been poisoned or somehow infected with cancer (arguing a plot reminiscent to the Yasser Arafat death controversy and the attempts against Fidel Castro),[36][37][38] were vehemently denied by the U.S. Department of State as "absurd".

[66] Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt stated that Chávez "undeniably affected his country and the entire region" and hoped for greater democracy and respect for human rights in Venezuela;[67] foreign minister Carl Bildt criticized Chávez's policies,[citation needed] saying that he had "plunder[ed] the oil wealth of [his] country".

[80][81] However, due to difficulties in finding an expert and the uncertainties of plastination in which the weather plays a substantial part, Maduro announced that the body would not be embalmed in time.

[citation needed] Bolivian President Evo Morales, Maduro and Chávez's brother Adan and daughter Maria Gabiela each gave speeches before the flag folding and dedication ceremony.

She visited the chapel at the military hospital to pay her final respects on Thursday before returning home,[103] citing health reasons.

Other attendees included Former US congressman William Delahunt, President of the Russian Rosneft oil company Igor Sechin and CEO of Rostec Sergei Chemezov;[98] Nikolay Lukashenko, son of the Belarusian president; Alexis Tsipras, the leader of SYRIZA in Greece (later Prime Minister of Greece); from Spain were Cayo Lara and Willy Meyer Pleite (MEP).

[106] Formula One driver Pastor Maldonado, American civil rights activist Jesse Jackson and actor Sean Penn also attended.

[citation needed] The Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra led by Gustavo Dudamel provided musical accompaniment during the state funeral services.

The mausoleum to Hugo Chávez consists of a granite sarcophagus atop a flat architectural composition of four leaves entitled Flower of the Four Elements by modernist architect 'Fruto' (Jose Fructoso) Vivas (1928–) (national Architecture Price and designer of the Venezuelan Pavilion at Hanover in 2000) and has a permanent ceremonial 4-man honour guard provided by the Presidential Honor Guard Brigade, which is changed every hour.

The BBC quoted analysts as saying Chávez' death could alter the balance against the so-called "pink tide" in favour of centrist governments.

It also suggested a possible economic impact to Venezuelan oil sales due to them being below market prices relative to some neighbouring countries, especially in the Caribbean.