Death and state funeral of Josip Broz Tito

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The funeral of Josip Broz Tito was held on 8 May 1980, four days after his death on 4 May.

Tito became increasingly ill over the course of 1979. During this time Vila Srna was built for his use near Morović in the event of his recovery. On 7 January and again on 11 January 1980, Tito was admitted to the Medical Centre in Ljubljana, the capital city of the SR Slovenia, with circulation problems in his legs. His left leg was amputated soon afterward due to arterial blockages and he died of gangrene at the Medical Centre Ljubljana on 4 May 1980 at 3:05 pm, three days short of his 88th birthday.

The Plavi voz (Blue train) brought his body to Belgrade and he laid in state in the Parliament building.

His funeral drew many world statesmen. Based on the number of attending politicians and state delegations, at the time it was the largest state funeral in history. They included four kings, 31 presidents, six princes, 22 prime ministers and 47 ministers of foreign affairs. They came from both sides of the Cold War, from 128 different countries out of 154 UNO members at the time.

Illness

Tito's health worsened during 1979. He had an arterial embolism in his left leg. In that year he participated in Havana conference of the Non-Aligned Movement. Tito spent New Year Eve in his residence in Karađorđevo. As this event was broadcasted on state TV, the people of Yugoslavia noticed that he gave and received best wishes while seated.

On 3 January 1980, Josip Broz Tito was admitted to the Medical Centre in Ljubljana for medical tests on blood vessels in his left leg. On 5 January, after the angiography, he was dishcharged on home treatment to his residence in Brdo Castle near Kranj, with a recommendation for further intensive treatment of established diagnosis. Angiography revealed that Tito's superficial femoral artery and Achilles tendon artery were clogged. The medical council consisted of 8 Yugoslav doctors, Michael E. DeBakey from the United States and Marat Knyazev from the Soviet Union.

Following the advice of DeBakey and Knyazev, the medical team tried to do an arterial bypass. First surgery of blood vessels was done in night betwenn 12 and 13 January. In first, it seemed that operation was successful, but after few hours it was clear it was not. Due to severe damage to the arteries, which led to the interruption of blood flow and accelerated tissue devitalization of left leg, Tito's left leg was amputated on 20 January, as otherwise Tito would die of gangrene. When Tito han been told what awaited him, he resisted the operation as lons as possible. In the end, he agreed to amputation.

After the second surgery, Tito's health temporarily improved, he began rehabilitation, and 28 January, he was transferred from the Department of cardiovascular surgery to Department for heart and blood vessels. In first days of February, his health was improving, so Tito could perform some of his regular presidential duties.

As early as January 1980, as it became clear that Tito's life was in grave danger, Yugoslav political leadership begun preparations for his funeral in the utmost secrecy. Tito's wish was that he should be buried in House of Flowers on Dedinje hill, that overlooks Belgrade. Moma Marković, a director for Television Belgrade, was summoned by Dragoljub Stavrev, a vice precedent of federal government, to device plans for broadcast of the funeral.

Death

Tito died of gangrene at the Medical Centre Ljubljana on 4 May 1980 at 3:05 pm, three days short of his 88th birthday.

Immediately upon learnig news of the death of Tito, a full extraordinary session of Presidency of the SFRY and Presidency of Central Committee of League of Communists of Yugoslavia was held in Belgrade starting in 6 PM, on which Tito's death was formally declared via a joint statement to all Yugoslavs:

To the working class, all working people and citizens, all nations and nationalities of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia: Comrade Tito has died.
On the day of May 4th, 1980 at 3:05 pm in Ljubljana, the great heart of the President of our Socialist Yugoslavia, the President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia, the President of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, Marshal of Yugoslavia, and the Commander-in-chief of Yugoslav armed forces, Josip Broz Tito, has stopped beating.
Great sorrow and pain is shaking up the working class, nations and nationalities of our country, our every citizen, worker, soldier, war veteran, farmer, intellectual, every creator, pioneer and youth, every girl and mother.
For all his entire life, Tito was a fighter for interests and goals of working class, for the most humane ideals, and desires of our nations and nationalities. Tito is our dearest friend. Seven decades he was burning up in a workers movement. For six decades, he strengthened Yugoslav Communists. For more than four decades, he was the leader of our Party. He was a heroic leader in World War II and in the Socialist revolution. For three and a half decades he led our Socialist country, and he moved our country and our fight for fairer human society into the world history, proving that way to be our most important historic world personality.

At the same meeting, in accordance with the 1974 Constitution of Yugoslavia as amended, it was decided that Lazar Koliševski, Vice President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia, will temporarily take the office of President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia, and that Cvijetin Mijatović, former member of the Presidency of SR Bosnia, will take Koliševski's place. In accordance with the Statute of the League of Communists, former chairman of Presidency of Central Committee of League of Communists of Yugoslavia Stevan Doronjski assumed the post of President of Presidency of Central Committee of League of Communists of Yugoslavia. Immediately afterwards the Federal Executive Council (government of Yugoslavia) decided to formally announce seven-day total national mourning nationwide.

Grief

It was a Sunday afternoon, and Yugoslavs were enjoying a weekend. Their usual activities were interrupted when the TV screen went black for 30 seconds. After that, Miodrag Zdravković, speaker of Television Belgrade, read the following statement on television live:

Comrade Tito has died. That was announced tonight by the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia and the Presidency of Yugoslavia to the working class, all working people and citizens and all the nations and nationalities of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

On Sunday afternoon, state television would usually broadcast soccer games of the national league. That night the derby in Split between NK Hajduk Split and FK Red Star was scheduled to be aired live on national television. During the live broadcast, when the match was in the 41st minute, three men entered the Poljud Stadium's pitch, signaling the referee to stop the match. The mayor of Split Ante Skataretiko took the microphone and announced Tito's death. What followed were sudden scenes of mass crying with even some players such as Zlatko Vujović collapsing down to the ground and weeping. Players of both teams and referees aligned to stand in a moment of silence. Once the stadium announcer said "May he rest in peace", entire stadium of 50,000 viewers spontaneously started to sing "Comrade Tito we swear to you, from your path we will never depart". The match wasn't resumed. The scenes from the match shocked the Yugoslav people now mourning his demise.

Dignitaries

Tito's funeral drew many statesmen into Belgrade. Notably absent statesmen from funeral were Jimmy Carter and Fidel Castro. His death came in the moment when Soviet invasion of Afghanistan ended American-Soviet détente. Yugoslavia, although a communist state, was non-aligned during Cold War and fearful that the nation might be invaded like Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan. After learning that Chinese president Hua Guofeng would lead the delegation of China, ailing Leonid Brezhnev decided to lead the Soviet delegation. In order to avoid meeting with Leonid Brezhnev and the middle of electoral campaign for United States presidential election, 1980, Carter opted to send his mother Lilian Carter and vice-president Walter Mondale as heads of United States delegation. After realizing that leaders of all Warsaw Pact nations would attend the funeral, Carter's decision was criticized by vice-president candidate George H. W. Bush as sign that United States "inferentially slams Yugoslavs at time that country has pulled away from Soviet Union".

Helmut Schmidt was the most active statesman, having meetings with Brezhnev, Erich Honecker and Edward Gierek. Margaret Thatcher sought to rally world leaders in order to harshly condemn the Soviet invasion. While she was in Belgrade, she held talks with Indira Gandhi, Kenneth Kaunda, Helmut Schmidt, Francesco Cossiga and Nicolae Ceaușescu. Brezhnev met with Gandhi, Kim Il Sung and Erich Honecker. James Callaghan explained his pressence in Belgrade as attempt to warm relations between British labourists and Yugoslav communists, severed more than a decade ago after dissident Milovan Đilas was welcomed by Jennie Lee, Minister for the Arts under Harold Wilson. Walter Mondale avoided Soviets, ignoring Brezhnev while passing close to him. Soviet and Chinese delegations also avoided each other.