November 4, 2025 – Richard B. Cheney, the influential and controversial former Vice President who served under George W. Bush, has died at age 84.
The Republican heavyweight passed away from pneumonia and complications related to heart and vascular disease, his family announced today.
Cheney was one of the most influential figures in modern American politics, holding more high-ranking government positions than any other public servant in U.S. history.
His remarkable career spanned five decades and four presidents. He started as a White House aide under Richard Nixon in the early 1970s before becoming the youngest-ever White House Chief of Staff under Gerald Ford at just 34 years old.
He went on to represent Wyoming in Congress during the Reagan years, then served as Secretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush during the first Gulf War.
But his time as Vice President from 2001 to 2009 defined his legacy – for better or worse.
Cheney became the face of the Bush administration’s aggressive response to the September 11 terrorist attacks, playing a central role in launching the “War on Terror” and pushing hard for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
His hawkish stance and behind-the-scenes influence made him one of American history’s most potent – and divisive – vice presidents.
Cheney battled serious heart problems throughout his life, surviving multiple heart attacks and eventually receiving a heart transplant in 2012 at age 71.
