Former Dictator Dead: Argentine Leader Jorge Rafael Videla Dies At 87

Jorge Rafael Videla, the former dictator and President-de-Facto of Argentina, has died at the age of 87. Videla, who came to power in the 1970s during a coup that deposed the former leader Isabel Martinez de Peron, was only a few years into a life-plus-50-years term in a Buenos Aires prison when he died of natural causes Friday.

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Jorge Videla was convicted in 2010 of killing 31 prisoners during the coup d'etat that brought him to power in 1976. He was sentenced to life in prison. In addition, in April, Videla was sentenced to an additional 50 years after a three-person court found him guilty in the "systematic disappearance" of children the court determined Videla had kidnapped as dictator. He died Friday in the prison in which he was serving that time, in Marcos Paz, Argentina.

Born in 1925 in Mercedes, Argentina, Videla attended the country's National Military College, and soon rose through the ranks of the Argentine armed services.

Jorge Videla later staged a coup with the help of a newly-formed junta to overthrow recently widowed leader Isabel Peron, wife of the famous Juan Peron. Isabel Peron's time as leader was reportedly a very unstable time for Argentina, which became engaged in the "Dirty War," a civil war that allegedly included mass kidnappings, killings and acts of torture.

After about five years as leader, Jorge Videla transferred power to Roberto Viola in 1981. Under Viola, the dictatorship fell apart, partially due to the Falklands War a year later. In 1983, Videla was prosecuted for his role in a number of homicides and other crimes during his rule, and imprisoned. However, he was later pardoned by then-President Carlos Menem in 1990. He was once again thrown in jail after a court overturned the pardon in 2007.

Videla reportedly died in his sleep on Friday.