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Skip to main content Jodi Guglielmi, Ryan Bort November 4, 2025 Dick Cheney. Getty Images Dick Cheney, widely regarded as one of America’s most influential and powerful vice presidents, has died. He was 84. His death, due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, was confirmed by his family. “We are grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country,” the family said in a statement. “And we are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man.” Cheney was the 46th vice president, serving alongside Republican President George W. Bush for two terms between 2001 and 2009. He became known as the chief architect of the “War on Terror” during his time in the White House due to his reputation for pushing through many of Bush’s initiatives and helping bolster the power of the presidency. Cheney served in the Richard Nixon administration and Gerald Ford administrations before joining Congress, where he represented his home state of Wyoming in the House for 10 years. He then served as secretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush, orchestrating the Gulf War, in which the United States expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Prior to joining the 2000 Republican presidential ticket as George W. Bush’s running mate, Cheney was the CEO of Halliburton. The vice presidency is traditionally a ceremonial role, but Cheney wielded an immense amount of influence under Bush. He exercised it most notably in response to the September 11 attacks, serving as the driving force behind the broader “War on Terror” following the attacks, from America’s military campaigns abroad to expanding the government’s surveillance powers at home. Cheney was a leading voice advocating for the invasion of Afghanistan and, later, the 2003 invasion of Iraq under the guise that the nation possessed weapons of mass destruction — despite a lack of solid intelligence indicating it did. Cheney relentlessly defended the war he orchestrated, including the military’s use of torture as an interrogation technique, and his legacy is inextricable from the decades of devastation it wrought. Trending Stories Bad Company Are No Longer Reuniting for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Performance Grateful Dead Singer Donna Jean Godchaux Dead at 78 AC/DC Extend ‘Power Up’ Tour With 2026 Dates Late-Night Hosts Take Aim at Trump's 'Gatsby' Party: 'As Dumb as You'd Expect' In his later years, he became an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, calling him a grave threat to society. He shocked both parties when he announced he would vote for Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. Cheney struggled with his health for years, having suffered five heart attacks from 1978 to 2010. He had also worn a device to regulate his heartbeat since 2001. He underwent a successful heart transplant in 2012. His family wrote that Lynne, his wife of 61 years; his daughters, Liz and Mary; and other family members were with him as he died Monday night. Mike Johnson Wants You to Believe He Lives Under a Rock Nikki McCann Ramirez Republicans Claim They Have a Healthcare Plan. But They Won’t Tell You What’s in It ICE Isn’t Letting the Shutdown Stop It From Spending Big on Ads The Food Stamp Shutdown Wasn’t a Surprise. It Was the GOP’s Plan Kristen Crowell ‘I Still Cry Sometimes’: Self-Deporting as ICE Cracks Down Family Separation Jeremy Lindenfeld Go to PMC.com Most Popular 'When Women Thrive, the Community Thrives': Inside Variety's Power of Women Event Featuring Jamie Lee Curtis, Sydney Sweeney, Kate Hudson, Nicole Scherzinger and Wanda Sykes 'Dancing With the Stars’ Crowns Dance Marathon Winner as One Contestant Suffers an Injury on Halloween Night: See the Scores, Who Went Home MLB Should Abolish the Intentional Walk After Shohei Ohtani Debacle We Unofficially Know Who Mel Owens Picks in The Golden Bachelor Finale You might also like Explaining Gen-Z’s Mysterious Infatuation With Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ (Guest Post) 5 hours ago Everyone Who Has Been Named People’s Sexiest Man Alive Since 1985 12 months ago A Brave New World: Navigating the Beauty Landscape Post L’Oréal-Kering Deal 43 minutes ago ZCON Is Where All the Executives Want to Be, but the Creators Are in Control 11 hours ago Ex-Atlanta Hawks Exec Charged in $3.8M Embezzlement Case 8 hours ago Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2025 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved. Powered by WordPress.com VIP
