Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, widely regarded as one of the most powerful and polarizing figures in American political history, has died at the age of 84.
His family said in a statement on Tuesday that he passed away on Monday due to complications from pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease.
Cheney, a Republican who served as vice president from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush, played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. foreign policy during the Iraq War era.
A driving force behind the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Cheney was one of the strongest advocates for the belief that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction—claims later disproven.
A former Wyoming congressman and secretary of defense, Cheney was already a seasoned Washington insider when Bush selected him as his running mate in 2000.
Once in office, he became a forceful proponent of expanding presidential powers, arguing that executive authority had been weakened since the Watergate scandal.
Cheney also strengthened the influence of the vice presidency by building a powerful national security apparatus within the White House.
His tenure was marked by fierce internal clashes, particularly with Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, over foreign policy.
Cheney staunchly defended the use of “enhanced interrogation” methods on terrorism suspects—techniques such as waterboarding and sleep deprivation that many, including U.S. and U.N. investigators, later condemned as torture.
Cheney’s hawkish worldview extended beyond Iraq. As defense secretary under President George H.W. Bush, he directed the U.S.-led coalition in the 1991 Gulf War, which expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
Though he opposed invading Iraq at that time, warning it would lead to a quagmire, he would later champion full-scale military action in 2003.
Despite the failure to find weapons of mass destruction, Cheney continued to defend the Iraq invasion, arguing that removing Saddam Hussein was justified based on intelligence available at the time.
Born Richard Bruce Cheney on January 30, 1941, in Lincoln, Nebraska, he grew up in a modest family that later settled in Wyoming.
A self-described poor student, Cheney dropped out of Yale University before earning degrees in political science from the University of Wyoming.
He began his Washington career in 1969 as a congressional intern, eventually serving as chief of staff to President Gerald Ford and developing a close relationship with Donald Rumsfeld, his longtime political ally.
During his decade in Congress, Cheney built a reputation as a staunch conservative, opposing abortion rights, gun control, and sanctions against South Africa’s apartheid regime.
His wife, Lynne Cheney, became a prominent conservative commentator, while their daughters Liz and Mary later gained national attention—Liz as a Republican lawmaker and Mary as a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.
Though an icon of conservative politics, Cheney broke ranks with his party in later years. He and Liz both condemned Donald Trump, with Liz losing her congressional seat after voting to impeach him for his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Cheney publicly backed her decision, calling Trump “the greatest threat to our republic in U.S. history”, and even said he would vote for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in 2024.
Cheney’s long public career was shadowed by severe heart problems—he suffered his first heart attack at 37 and underwent a heart transplant in 2012.
He also faced controversies, including a 2006 hunting accident in which he accidentally shot a friend, and criticism over his ties to Halliburton, the oil services firm he led before becoming vice president. Halliburton later profited heavily from Iraq War contracts.
In popular culture, Cheney became a symbol of power and secrecy.
He was often compared to Darth Vader, a comparison he once embraced with humor—going so far as to dress as the Star Wars villain for a television appearance.
The 2018 biopic Vice, starring Christian Bale, portrayed him as the shadowy architect of post-9/11 U.S. policy.
Even after leaving office, Cheney remained unapologetic about his record, using his 2011 memoir In My Time to defend his actions and settle scores with critics.
He is survived by his wife Lynne, and daughters Liz and Mary, who were by his side when he died, the family said.
Transnational syndicate exploits East Africa’s transit hubs to move millions in illicit cash
