Former United States President George W. Bush, has led tributes to former US Vice President Dick Cheney, describing his death as “a loss to the nation and a sorrow to his friends”.
Cheney died from complications of pneumonia and cardiac as well as vascular disease on Monday night at the age of 84, his family said in a statement.
The former VP became one of the most powerful US vice presidents in history under Bush, and leaves behind a controversial legacy as a key architect of the “war on terror”, and an early advocate of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
“History will remember him as among the finest public servants of his generation,” Bush said in a statement.
Cheney was “a patriot who brought integrity, high intelligence, and seriousness of purpose to every position he held”, Bush added.
“I counted on him for his honest, forthright counsel, and he never failed to give his best. He held to his convictions and prioritised the freedom and security of the American people.”
For her part, Condoleezza Rice, who served as Secretary of State alongside Cheney in the Bush administration, said she admired him “for his integrity and his love of our country”.
“He was an inspiring presence and mentor who taught me a great deal about public service,” she wrote on X.
Despite being a stalwart figure in the Republican party for many years, Cheney became a bitter critic of it under the leadership of Donald Trump, who has yet to comment on his death.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “Scripture is very clear, we give honour where honour is due.”
“Even when we had political differences as somebody later in life, you have to honour the sacrifices and the service they gave to their country,” he said.
Flags at the White House were lowered to half-staff on Tuesday, shortly after his death was announced.
In their statement announcing his death, Cheney’s family said he was a “great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honour, love, kindness, and fly fishing”.
Cheney was a controversial political figure, particularly in his role behind the “war on terror”, which saw the US invade Iraq in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
Iraqi writer Sinan Antoon said that Cheney’s lasting legacy in the country is of “chaos and terrorism”.
“In a different world Dick Cheney would definitely be a war criminal and would be standing trial,” he told the BBC’s Newshour programme.
Kristofer Goldsmith, a US Army veteran who was deployed to Iraq, also told the BBC that “most people recognise Dick Cheney as someone who created a massive problem that ended up in hundreds of thousands of deaths.”
