The lifelong president of the SFR Yugoslavia and the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito, died on this day 45 years ago after a 122-day battle with an illness caused by the blockage of blood arteries in his left leg.
The first problems with circulation in his left leg appeared at the end of December 1979, and after Tito refused surgical intervention, the medical council tried to restore normal circulation with medication. Since the treatment applied produced no results, Tito underwent surgery on January 12, during which an arterial bypass was performed. This operation had been delayed due to Tito’s refusal as well as the attempted drug therapy, and was therefore unsuccessful. As Tito’s condition worsened after the surgery, his left leg was amputated on January 21.
After the amputation, Tito’s health temporarily improved, but it soon began to deteriorate rapidly because the diseased leg had significantly weakened his body’s resistance before the operation. Kidney problems appeared first, followed by pneumonia, which is why Tito was placed in an artificial coma and connected to respiratory machines on February 26. In extremely grave condition, Tito’s vital organs began to fail, and due to cardiocirculatory instability his heart eventually stopped, leading to his death on May 4, 1980, at 3:05 p.m., in his 88th year.
At 6:50 p.m., all TV screens went black for 30 seconds, after which announcer Miodrag Zdravković read: “Comrade Tito has died.” When the news was announced, everyone stopped whatever they were doing. The football match Hajduk – Red Star was halted and the players burst into tears, as did many citizens of Yugoslavia. After the initial shock and disbelief, the chants “Comrade Tito, we swear to you” and “Hej Sloveni” echoed from the stadium…
Interestingly, many people still remember where they were when they heard the news of Tito’s death.
