Controversial War Architect Dick Cheney, Who Led US Into Iraq And Afghanistan, Dead At 84

Former vice president Richard B. “Dick” Cheney, the historically powerful vice president and architect of the US’s endless “war on terror” during his time as the No. 2 in the George W. Bush administration, has died, his family announced in a statement Tuesday. He was 84.

“The former Vice President died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease” on Monday evening, the statement reads.

“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,” his family said. “Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing.”

In this June 1, 2009, file photo, former vice president Dick Cheney speaks at the National Press Club in Washington. Cheney died Monday at age 84.

During his tenure as Bush’s vice president from 2001 to 2009, Cheney was a crucial, manipulative proponent of the US invasion of Iraq — which led to what has come to be viewed as a pointless war resulting in the deaths of an estimated hundreds of thousands of people, including about 4,500 Americans, while costing taxpayers over $2 trillion — and a notable advocate for torture of suspected terrorists. He became known for his neoconservative views on foreign policy and his advocacy of the use of executive power.

Cheney has been called “the most powerful vice president in history.” Bush said at one point, “When you’re talking to Dick Cheney, you’re talking to me. When Dick Cheney’s talking, it’s me talking.”

Former president George W. Bush (right) shakes hands with former vice president Dick Cheney after Cheney introduced Bush during the groundbreaking ceremony for the President George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas on Nov. 16, 2010.

Tributes have started pouring in from Republicans on Capitol Hill.

“My prayers are [with] the Cheney family Dick served our country [with] distinction in various roles over many decades,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “He was a true public servant & proud American.”

“Dick Cheney was a giant in American politics, and his impact will be felt for decades,” said Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.).

Then-President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney embrace following Bush's acceptance speech in Madison Square Garden during the final night of the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York.

Most recently, Cheney made heads turn with his endorsement of then-Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee in the 2024 presidential election.

“In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump,” Cheney said in a statement in September 2024. “He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him. He can never be trusted with power again.”

“As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution. That is why I will be casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris,” he continued.

Cheney had supported Trump in 2016 but turned on the GOP leader following the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. 

Cheney had experienced heart problems for much of his adult life, suffering five heart attacks. He later got a heart transplant in 2012, about three years after retiring from his high-profile White House job.

“It’s the gift of life itself,” he told a podcast a few years after the procedure.

Sara Bondioli contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on Huffpost