Richard “Dick” Cheney, who served as the 46th Vice President of the United States under George W. Bush and was one of the most influential and controversial figures in modern American politics, died Monday at the age of 84. According to a statement from his family, his death was due to complications from pneumonia and cardiovascular disease.

Cheney passed away surrounded by his wife, Lynne, and daughters, Liz and Mary. His family described him as “a good man” who taught them “to love their country and live their lives with courage, honor, love, and kindness.”

With a public career spanning decades, Dick Cheney was a central figure in Washington. He served as White House Chief of Staff under President Gerald Ford, represented Wyoming in Congress, was Secretary of Defense under George H. W. Bush, and ultimately Vice President from 2001 to 2009. Historians regard him as one of the most powerful and influential vice presidents in U.S. history.

Statement by President George W. Bush on Vice President Dick Cheney:

The death of Richard B. Cheney is a loss to the nation and a sorrow to his friends. Laura and I will remember Dick Cheney for the decent, honorable man that he was. History will remember him as among the finest… pic.twitter.com/fmx7hI4eFD

— George W. Bush Presidential Center (@TheBushCenter) November 4, 2025

As Secretary of Defense (1989–1993), Cheney oversaw the U.S. military intervention in Panama in 1989 and led Operation Desert Storm during the first Gulf War in 1991.

His most defining role came as Vice President. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Cheney became one of the chief architects of the “War on Terror.” He was a staunch advocate for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, based on the claim later proven false that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and had ties to Al-Qaeda.

Cheney was also a forceful proponent of expanding presidential power and supported the use of controversial “enhanced interrogation techniques,” such as waterboarding, which were later deemed torture by international organizations and the U.S. Senate.

In his later years, Cheney openly distanced himself from the Republican Party’s direction under Donald Trump. He called the former president a “coward” and declared him “the greatest threat to the republic” in U.S. history. In a striking political gesture, Cheney announced during the 2024 election that he would vote for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.

Plagued by heart problems throughout his adult life he suffered his first heart attack at 37 and underwent a heart transplant in 2012 Cheney retired from public life to spend time with his family and pursue his love of fly fishing.

Dick Cheney’s legacy remains defined by his unprecedented vice-presidential power, his aggressive and influential foreign policy, and the deep divisions his decisions created cementing his place as a political giant whose impact continues to provoke debate and analysis.