Yugoslav leader Tito's ex-wife dies

Haas met Tito in 1937 and lived with him in the Croatian capital Zagreb until May 1941 when he moved to Belgrade.

BELGRADE, March 9, 2010 (AFP) - A former wife of late Yugoslav communist leader Josip Broz Tito, Herta Haas, has died in Belgrade at the age of 96, Tanjug news agency reported Tuesday.

Haas met Tito in 1937 and lived with him in the Croatian capital Zagreb until May 1941 when he moved to Belgrade and began living with another woman, the report said.

Haas and Tito's son, Aleksandar Miso Broz, is a Croatian diplomat, while grandaughter Sasa Broz is a theatre director.

Haas was second out of four Tito's wifes. His widow Jovanka Broz, 84, lives in Belgrade.

Josip Broz Tito ruled the Yugoslav federation for 35 years until his death in 1980.

A decade after his death, Yugoslavia fell apart in a series of bloody wars.