Rachele Mussolini, the widow of Benito Mussolini, the facist dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943, died Tuesday at her home in Predappio, Italy, following a heart attack. She was 87.

During her husband's spectacular and bombastic political career, Donna Rachele, as she was known in Italy, remained in the background, caring for their five children and running here household. Mussolini and his mistress, Claretta Petacci, was executed in 1945 by Italian partisans.