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Former Vice President Dick Cheney, a driving force behind the United States’ wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and one of the most influential — and polarizing — figures in modern American politics, died Monday night from complications of pneumonia and cardiovascular disease, his family said. He was 84.
Cheney served eight years as vice president under President George W. Bush, playing a central role in the administration’s response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and shaping its aggressive foreign and national security policies. His long career in public service also included stints as defense secretary under President George H.W. Bush, White House chief of staff for President Gerald Ford, and a six-term Republican congressman from Wyoming.
“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,” his family said in a statement released by spokesperson Jeremy Adler. “We are grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country.”
A staunch defense hawk, Cheney helped lead two major U.S. military campaigns under President George H.W. Bush — the 1989 invasion of Panama that toppled dictator Manuel Noriega and the 1991 Gulf War that expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Those successes cemented his reputation as a tough-minded strategist with deep respect for military power.
After 9/11, Cheney became the chief architect of the Bush administration’s “global war on terror,” overseeing policies that included the invasion of Iraq in 2003, expanded surveillance programs, and the use of harsh interrogation techniques — measures he defended long after leaving office.
“Torture is what the al Qaeda terrorists did to 3,000 Americans on 9/11,” Cheney said in a 2014 interview. “There is no comparison between that and what we did with respect to enhanced interrogation.”
Critics, however, accused him of overreach and secrecy, branding him “Darth Vader” for his influence and unapologetic style. Cheney often embraced the nickname with humor, but his legacy remained divisive — a mix of unwavering patriotism and controversial policies that redefined the scope of executive power.
Even in his later years, Cheney remained outspoken, breaking with his party over former President Donald Trump. In a 2022 campaign ad for his daughter, Liz Cheney, he called Trump “a greater threat to our republic than any other individual in history.” He later endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president in 2024, prompting Trump to label him an “irrelevant RINO.”
Cheney’s public image also included moments of human fallibility — most memorably, when he accidentally shot attorney Harry Whittington during a 2006 hunting trip in Texas. Whittington survived, and Cheney later called it “one of the worst days of my life.”
Despite years of heart trouble and a 2012 heart transplant, Cheney remained active in public life and a frequent commentator on national security.
He is survived by his wife, Lynne Cheney; their daughters, Liz and Mary Cheney; and several grandchildren.
