Former US Vice President Dick Cheney dead at age 84

Vice president under George W. Bush, Cheney played a pivotal role in shaping the US "war on terror." He would later become a somewhat surprising Donald Trump detractor, in support of his daughter Liz.

Former United States Vice President Dick Cheney , has died at the age of 84, according to a statement from his family.

Cheney died from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, his family said. He was troubled much of his life by heart problems, suffering the first of a number of heart attacks at age 37. He had a heart transplant in 2012.

"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," the family said in a statement.

Wyoming Congressman, Iraq war advocate, Trump critic

A former Wyoming congressman, Cheney served as defense secretary during the Gulf War under President George H.W. Bush and later returned to Washington as vice president to his son, George W. Bush.

He strongly supported the 2003 Iraq war, warning of weapons of mass destruction that were never found.

Cheney later became a target of President Donald Trump, after his daughter Liz Cheney became a leading Republican critic following the January 6 Capitol attack. 

Cheney backed her stance and said he would support Kamala Harris in 2024.

Chosen first to seek a VP, then to be one

Because of his longstanding ties to the Bush family, George W. Bush initially appointed Cheney to identify a vice presidential candidate for his 2000 election campaign. Before long, though, Bush decided the headhunter himself was best suited to the role. 

Cheney believed that the power of the White House had been gradually eroded since the Watergate scandal that toppled Richard Nixon, one of the first presidents he worked with closely.

As a result, he worked to expand the powers of the presidency and vice presidency during his eight years in charge, a process that was accelerated in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the US. 

Cheney was a staunch defender of the surveillance, detention and inquisition tools put to use in the aftermath of the attacks.

Detractors of the Bush administration often said that much of the real power rested with Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld — a former mentor of Cheney's.

These allegations only gathered momentum amid the Iraq war, not least given Cheney's ties to oil company Halliburton, which became a key contractor for the US in Iraq.  Cheney had run Halliburton from 1995 to 2000, receiving a multi-million retirement package on returning to politics. 

Nebraska-born, Wyoming-raised, Yale dropout, hunting enthusiast

Cheney was born in 1941 in Nebraska to a mother and father who supported then-President Franklin Roosevelt and his "New Deal" Democrats. Cheney's grandfather even urged his parents to notify the White House via memo that the newborn shared a birthday with the president. 

Cheney later told a PBS documentary that in his family, he "was the first Republican probably since my great-grandfather who fought in the Civil War on the Union side." 

The family soon moved to Wyoming where Cheney was raised. 

He attended the prestigious Yale University on the East Coast, but described himself as "a mediocre student, at best," who would go on to drop out and complete his political studies degree back in Wyoming. 

He shrugged off late-night comedians referring to him as Darth Vader during his tenure as VP, even appearing in costume as the "Star Wars" villain for an appearance on the Tonight Show promoting his memoir. 

The hunting and fishing enthusiast faced criticism mid-way through Bush's second term for being slow to disclose that he had accidentally shot a friend Harry Whittington in the face on a hunting trip.

Cheney was also the subject of a scathing movie biopic starring Christian Bale and called "Vice." 

"Thank you to Satan for giving me inspiration on how to play this role," Bale said when accepting a Golden Globe award for his performance.

Known for taking a conservative stance on most major issues during his political career, same sex relationships were one notable exception for Cheney, whose second daughter Mary is a lesbian.

He is survived by his wife Anne Vincent, after more than 60 years of marriage, and his daughters Liz and Mary.

Edited by: Rana Taha