By Obinna Uballa
Former United States Vice President Dick Cheney, one of the most influential and controversial figures in modern American politics, has died at the age of 84.
According to reports by the BBC and other international media outlets, Cheney died on Monday night from complications of pneumonia as well as cardiac and vascular disease. His family confirmed his death in a statement released on Tuesday.
“Richard B. Cheney, the 46th Vice President of the United States, died last night, November 3, 2025. He was 84 years old,” the family said.
“His beloved wife of 61 years, Lynne, his daughters, Liz and Mary, and other family members were with him as he passed,” the statement added, describing Cheney as “a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honour, love, kindness, and fly fishing.”
“We are grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country. And we are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man,” the family said.
Born in 1941, Cheney’s political career spanned more than four decades. He served as White House Chief of Staff under President Gerald Ford in the 1970s, then represented Wyoming for ten years in the House of Representatives.
Under President George H.W. Bush, Cheney served as Secretary of Defence, overseeing the successful U.S.-led coalition in the 1991 Gulf War.
He returned to the White House as Vice President under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, where he became a dominant force in shaping U.S. foreign policy after the September 11 attacks. Cheney was widely regarded as the chief architect of America’s “war on terror” and one of the strongest advocates for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
In his later years, Cheney emerged as a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, warning that Trump’s influence posed a grave threat to American democracy. Two months before the 2024 presidential election, he broke with his party to endorse Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
