The news that much of Miami has been waiting decades to hear finally arrived Friday night when Cuba's state-run television announced that Fidel Castro was dead.
Within hours spontaneous celebrations had broken out on the streets of Little Havana. The party rumbled right into Saturday as hundreds gathered outside the neighborhood's Versailles restaurant, an iconic gathering spot for Cuban exiles for nearly as long as the 90-year-old Castro held power over the island nation.
Police were forced to block off several streets as revelers, many draped in Cuban flags, uncorked bottles of champagne, sang '"Guantanamera" and "La Vida es un Carnaval" and danced salsa and merengue while partying like it was 1959 — the year Castro's rule began.
"This is going to go on for a week — at least," said Elliete Rodriguez, of Miami, adding she was on hand to honor her father whom she said died in exile without ever returning to Cuba.
By 10 a.m. Saturday, the cacophony created by honking horns, blaring car stereos and the banging of pots and pans along Calle Ocho — Eighth Street — had reached rock-concert decibels with no end in sight.
"It's a huge moment in history," said Michael Porta, who said his grandfather was imprisoned by Castro's government for his political views. "One of the last tyrants of the 20th century just passed away. It may not change much on the island right away, but it is a cause for celebration in the exile community and anybody who loves freedom."
Rumors of Castro's death had toyed with exiles' emotions for years.
Speculation of his demise began ramping up after Castro fell ill in 2006 and peaked in 2012 when a Venezuelan doctor who treated the Cuban leader said Castro had suffered a heart attack and was unresponsive.
In January 2015, Castro's death became the source of conjecture again following his prolonged absence from public appearances.
That caused Univision anchor Jorge Ramos to warn on his Twitter account: "Careful. Remember that here in Miami, almost like a ritual, Fidel Castro is killed several times a year."
Like the boogeyman in a horror movie, Castro emerged every time.
Until Friday.
"No one is eternal," said Angela Williams, who held a sign in one hand stating "Cuba Libre" and another placard denouncing "57 years of dictatorship and suppression of human rights" in the other. "You have to die some time."
Williams stressed that she was not "celebrating" the death of another human being as much as she was honoring loved ones and extolling political freedom.
But that view was certainly in the minority Saturday.
"I'm a Christian, so I feel a little like a hypocrite, but I'm happy inside," said Claudia Ortiz of Miami.
Damian Maytin, 17, was less diplomatic. His family left Cuba eight years ago after Raul Castro took the reigns of power from his older brother. Raul Castro, 85, has announced that he will not serve beyond 2018, but Maytin believes he will maintain control as long as he lives.
"One Castro is down, and we hope the other one dies soon," Maytin said.
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Exiles once believed that Fidel Castro's death would result in the collapse of Cuba's one-party, totalitarian system.
But Henry Marinello said that as long as Raul Castro and other Communist party stalwarts remain in power, nothing will change.
Marinello arrived on Calle Ocho early Saturday holding a sign with the names "Che, Fidel and Raul" written inside bubbles. The names Che — for Cuban revolutionary figure Che Guevara — and Fidel had lines crossed through them. Under the bubbles were the words, "Falta uno," Spanish for "one's left."
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Marinello said that he and his brothers came to the U.S. as children in the 1960s while their father stayed behind working with anti-Castro dissident groups. His father was eventually arrested and then executed by a firing squad, he said.
"My father was an idealist," Marinello said. "He believed in freedom. He stayed trying to overturn the Castro regime, and he died doing it."
Beyond the abundance of Cuban and American flags flying in Little Havana Saturday were those from Brazil, Israel, Venezuela and other countries.
Ben Lightfoot of New Zealand biked to Calle Ocho with his 3-year-old son Niko in tow.
"We wanted to see a little history," Lightfoot said.
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Salvador and Celena Parisi of Venezuela said they were on hand to show solidarity with Cuban-Americans. When Fidel Castro and Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez were alive, they formed a close bond that many Venezuelans say has led to the South American country's collapse.
"We're living through what many Cubans have already experienced," Salvador Parisi said. "The body of a totalitarian system remains in Cuba, but now the head has been cut off."
One celebrant reminded a reporter that Cuban-Americans have long toasted the New Year with the refrain: "Next year in Cuba!"
With Castro's death, Claudia Ortiz said that hope may be closer to reality.
"I don't think Cuba is going to change overnight," said Ortiz, born in Cuba before moving to Miami 23 years ago. "You can't change 57 years in a week or even a month. We're going to need years to change. But it's a beginning."
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