Former US vice president Dick Cheney dies at 84
11/4/2025 1:48:00 PM
Dick Cheney, who became one of the most powerful vice presidents in US history as George W. Bush’s number two during 9/11 and catastrophic wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, died Monday. He was 84.
Cheney forged an unusually muscular job in the traditionally inconsequential role and was seen by many as a major power behind the throne, as Bush thrust America into the so-called war on terror, with a dark underbelly of renditions, torture and the controversial Guantanamo prison site.
A hate-figure to many on the left, he made a remarkable pivot toward the end of his life when he opposed Donald Trump's ultimately successful campaign to return to the White House in 2024.
Cheney's daughter Liz Cheney, a former congresswoman from Wyoming, said her deeply Republican father had voted for Trump's Democratic opponent Kamala Harris.
Cheney, also a former congressman and defense secretary, "died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease," according to a family statement cited by US media.
"For decades, Dick Cheney served our nation, including as White House Chief of Staff, Wyoming's Congressman, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President of the United States," it said.
As 46th vice president, Cheney served for two terms between 2001 and 2009.
The job is often something of a frustrating experience for ambitious politicians, but Cheney's Machiavellian skills gave him considerable influence behind the scenes.
He helped usher in an aggressive notion of executive power, believing the president should be able to operate almost unfettered by lawmakers or the courts, particularly during wartime. It was an approach that saw Bush enter military quagmires in Afghanistan and Iraq and prompt major controversy over his impact on civil liberties.
Cheney forged an unusually muscular job in the traditionally inconsequential role and was seen by many as a major power behind the throne, as Bush thrust America into the so-called war on terror, with a dark underbelly of renditions, torture and the controversial Guantanamo prison site.
A hate-figure to many on the left, he made a remarkable pivot toward the end of his life when he opposed Donald Trump's ultimately successful campaign to return to the White House in 2024.
Cheney's daughter Liz Cheney, a former congresswoman from Wyoming, said her deeply Republican father had voted for Trump's Democratic opponent Kamala Harris.
Cheney, also a former congressman and defense secretary, "died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease," according to a family statement cited by US media.
"For decades, Dick Cheney served our nation, including as White House Chief of Staff, Wyoming's Congressman, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President of the United States," it said.
As 46th vice president, Cheney served for two terms between 2001 and 2009.
The job is often something of a frustrating experience for ambitious politicians, but Cheney's Machiavellian skills gave him considerable influence behind the scenes.
He helped usher in an aggressive notion of executive power, believing the president should be able to operate almost unfettered by lawmakers or the courts, particularly during wartime. It was an approach that saw Bush enter military quagmires in Afghanistan and Iraq and prompt major controversy over his impact on civil liberties.