Ramtin Arablouei and Randa Abdel-Fattah

At one of his final rallies... Upwards of a million and a half, two million people sort of descend on Caracas.

And the great question is, is Chavez going to show up?

That's because Chavez had been really sick.

He's diagnosed with cancer in 2011.

The crowd waited.

And suddenly... Chavez just kind of materializes.

just at the time that a torrential downpour comes across Caracas.

And so Chavez just walks up to the stage and just takes the rain in, just no umbrella, right?

Just as like everybody is getting soaked and he starts to like dance and to pretend that he's like Muhammad Ali, like throwing some jabs here and there.

It's just like this,

almost ineffable moment of a man that was otherwise in his seemed to be in like his deathbed suddenly doing this act where he's not only showing or performing this vitality but once again saying I am one of you

Chávez went on to win re-election in October of 2012.

But by December of that year, his health had gotten really bad.

So he decided to hold a press conference.

Tells the country he's leaving for Cuba to get treatment.

The prognosis is not good.

And says if he doesn't return... I tell all of you to follow Nicolás.

Nicolás Maduro.

Maduro was in the Chavez government, you know, throughout.

First as a deputy, eventually he became foreign minister, then vice president.