Dick Cheney, the 46th vice president of the United States, has died at 84 from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, according to his family. His wife Lynne, daughters Liz and Mary, and other relatives were at his side.
Serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, Cheney was a dominant figure in Washington. He helped shape the US response to the September 11 attacks, backed a doctrine of pre-emptive war, and strongly advocated the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
including Secretary of State Colin Powell, on September 15, 2001,
at Camp David in Maryland. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
9/11 and the “War on Terror”
From a secure bunker on September 11 in 2001, Cheney directed emergency responses and supported authorising the shoot-down of hijacked aircraft. He became a principal voice for expanding US military action in Afghanistan and then Iraq, citing weapons-of-mass-destruction claims and alleged links to al-Qaeda that were later discredited by congressional and independent inquiries.
Cheney defended “enhanced interrogation” techniques, including waterboarding, and long-term detention at Guantanamo Bay. Critics called the practices torture and an assault on US values. He rejected the charge that intelligence had been distorted, insisting officials acted on the best information available at the time.
Break with Trump and the GOP
A life-long conservative, Cheney became a forceful critic of Donald Trump after the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, branding Trump a “coward” and a unique threat to the republic. In 2024 he said he voted for Democrat Kamala Harris. His daughter, former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, likewise broke with the party over Trump.
Earlier career
Born in 1941 in Nebraska and raised in Wyoming, Cheney served as White House chief of staff under Gerald Ford, six-term congressman for Wyoming, and US defence secretary under George H. W. Bush, overseeing the 1991 Gulf War. Between government roles he was CEO of Halliburton. He joined Bush’s 2000 ticket after initially leading the vice-presidential search.
after it was unveiled at Emancipation Hall
inside the Capitol on December 3, 2015. (Keith Lane/Getty Images)
Cheney survived multiple heart attacks, used a heart pump in 2011, and received a heart transplant in 2012, which he called “the gift of life.” He is survived by Lynne Cheney, daughters Liz and Mary, and seven grandchildren.
Dick Cheney, the influential GOP vice president to George W. Bush and chief architect of the "war on terror," has died. He was 84.https://t.co/BnVjNGVdft pic.twitter.com/AT2oBJXV2d
— CNN (@CNN) November 4, 2025
Source: CNN