Former Vice President to George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Dies at 84 – Details

Former Vice President Richard B. “Dick” Cheney passed away at the age of 84 in a somber event that signals the end of a pivotal period in American history.

After complications from pneumonia and chronic heart and vascular illness, his family confirmed his death on November 3, 2025.

One of the most significant and divisive personalities in contemporary American history, Cheney passed away at home with his daughters, Liz and Mary, his wife of 61 years, Lynne, and other family members.

The Cheney family offered a very intimate look into the last hours of a man whose life was characterized by service, conviction, and controversy in a statement issued just before his passing. The statement was filled with both pain and appreciation.

According to the statement, “his daughters, Liz and Mary, his cherished wife, Lynne, and other family members were with him as he passed.”

“He instilled the values of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing. He was a great and good man.”

Behind the tough public persona of one of America’s most sane political brains, the message revealed a unique portrayal of sensitivity.

Cheney’s influence reached the highest levels of the US government during the course of a career that lasted almost 50 years.

In 1975, he made his public debut as President Gerald Ford’s White House Chief of Staff, a position that demonstrated his strategic acumen and taciturn command.

He later became known for his conservative views and deep knowledge of Washington’s inner workings while serving six terms as a congressman from Wyoming.

Cheney’s rise was further accelerated when he was named Secretary of Defense by President George H.W. Bush.

In this role, he oversaw Operation Desert Storm and the coalition victory led by the United States in the Gulf War, garnering great admiration for his calm leadership during a turbulent time in world affairs.

But Cheney’s name was indelibly woven into American history during his tenure as George W. Bush’s vice president, from 2001 to 2009.

Cheney, who is frequently referred to as the most powerful vice president in American history, had a significant impact on executive decision-making, foreign policy, and national security.

He was a key architect of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which would come to define both his legacy and America’s position on the international scene, and he became a driving force behind the Bush administration’s War on Terror following the September 11 attacks.

Critics denounced what they perceived as overreach, secrecy, and a risky extension of executive power, while supporters commended his steadfast dedication to national defense and his readiness to make tough choices in emergency situations.

Cheney never wavered in his conviction that tough, occasionally unpopular measures were required to maintain both international peace and U.S. security, even in the face of criticism.

Those who knew him best characterized him as a bright, disciplined man who was kind and dedicated in private but frequently stoic in public.

In addition to being a statesman, he was also a husband, father, and grandpa to his family. He loved spending time in Wyoming’s vast, peaceful wilderness, where he found peace in introspection and fly fishing.

Liz Cheney, his daughter and a former U.S. Representative and powerful political figure, has long recognized her father as her greatest mentor and the source of her moral and political compass.

Through her and the debates and policies he influenced, Dick Cheney’s legacy endures in American culture as a warning about the complexity of power as well as a symbol of unwavering patriotism.

“We are deeply grateful for all he did for our country, and we are blessed to have loved—and been loved by—this noble giant of a man,” the Cheney family said in their last remarks, reflecting on a life lived at the center of American history with both pride and humility.

As the country considers Richard B. Cheney’s life and death, it does so knowing that his impact, both positive and negative, will last for many generations.

He was a man of consequence, as his supporters frequently referred to him: a man whose firm hand led the country through dangerous times and whose legacy would endure as permanently as the chaotic era he helped create.