Former Vice President Dick Cheney tragically passed away on Monday, Nov. 3 at the age of 84, and his family has officially announced his cause of death.
According to PEOPLE, Cheney’s family said he passed away from “complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease,” adding that “His beloved wife of 61 years, Lynne, his daughters, Liz and Mary, and other family members were with him as he passed.”
“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,” his family added in the statement. “We are grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country. And we are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man.”
Cheney served under George W. Bush from 2001 until 2009, marking him as the 46th Vice President of the United States.
Inside Dick Cheney’s Health Struggles
In 1978, Cheney suffered his first heart attack, which required him to undergo quadruple-bypass surgery in 1988. He then admitted in 2010 that he suffered his fifth heart attack, and went on to receive a heart transplant two years later.
President George W. Bush Pays Tribute To Dick Cheney
George W. Bush released a statement following news of Dick Cheney’s passing.
“The death of Richard B. Cheney is a loss to the nation and a sorrow to his friends. Laura and I will remember Dick Cheney for the decent, honorable man that he was. History will remember him as among the finest public servants of his generation – a patriot who brought integrity, high intelligence, and seriousness of purpose to every position he held,” the statement said. “As a young White House aide and chief of staff, a Congressman, a Secretary of Defense, and my Vice President, Dick earned the confidence and high opinion of five presidents. I asked him to join my ticket in 2000 after first enlisting him to help me find the best running mate. In our long discussions about the qualities a vice president should have – deep experience, mature judgment, character, loyalty – I realized that Dick Cheney was the one I needed. I’m still grateful that he was at my side for the eight years that followed.”
“Dick was a calm and steady presence in the White House amid great national challenges. I counted on him for his honest, forthright counsel, and he never failed to give his best. He held to his convictions and prioritized the freedom and security of the American people. For those two terms in office, and throughout his remarkable career, Dick Cheney’s service always reflected credit on the country he loved,” he added. “Dick’s love for America was second only to his family. Laura and I have shared our deepest sympathies with Vice President Cheney’s wife Lynne and their daughters and grandchildren of whom he was so deeply proud. We are praying for Lynne, Liz, Mary, and the Cheney family as they honor a great man.”
