Dick Cheney, Former VP, Dies at 84

Former Vice President Dick Cheney, who served two terms alongside President George W. Bush and was widely regarded as one of the most powerful vice presidents in U.S. history, passed away at the age of 84. The White House flag was lowered to half-staff Tuesday in his honor.

Cheney’s family said he died surrounded by his wife of 61 years, Lynne, and their daughters, Liz and Mary, after complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease. “Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing,” the family said in a statement.

George W. Bush, under whom Cheney served from 2001 to 2009, described his former vice president as “a decent, honorable man.” Bush added, “History will remember him as among the finest public servants of his generation — a patriot who brought integrity, high intelligence, and seriousness of purpose to every position he held.”

Cheney was a dominant figure in shaping U.S. policy after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, helping lead the administration’s “war on terror” and advocating for the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Though he faced enduring criticism for the flawed intelligence underlying the Iraq war and for his defense of controversial interrogation methods, Cheney maintained throughout his life that his actions were necessary to protect the United States.

A lifelong Republican and former congressman from Wyoming, Cheney also served as White House Chief of Staff under President Gerald Ford and as Defense Secretary under President George H.W. Bush. In his later years, he broke sharply with much of his party, calling Donald Trump a “coward” and “the greatest threat to the republic” following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. He proceeded to back liberal Democrat candidates.

Cheney underwent a heart transplant in 2012 and often referred to it as “the gift of life itself.” Despite a long battle with heart disease, he remained active in public life and deeply engaged in national debates until his final years.