Dick Cheney, who served as the 46th Vice President of the United States under George W. Bush, has passed away at the age of 84. He was surrounded by Lynne, his wife of 61 years, daughters Liz and Mary, and other family members. In a statement, the family revealed he died “due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease.”
“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,” the statement continued. “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’s passing marks the end of one of the most consequential and controversial political careers in modern American history. He served as vice president from 2001 to 2009, and many people considered him one of the most powerful and influential holders of that office. Before joining the Bush administration, Cheney had an impressive political resume that included stints as White House chief of staff under Gerald Ford, congressman from Wyoming, and secretary of defense under George H.W. Bush. He also spent time in the private sector as CEO of Halliburton, a major Texas-based energy services company.
Interestingly, Cheney’s path to the vice presidency came through a rather unusual route. He infamously led George W. Bush’s vice presidential vetting committee before Bush ultimately selected him as his running mate. It was a shrewd political move that demonstrated his ability to position himself at the center of power.
Cheney’s influence during the Bush years cannot be overstated. He played a decisive role during the 9/11 attacks. Many credit him as the key architect of the U.S. war on terror. The left maligned him, and Democrats often accused him of being the shadow president.
My first successful blog was dedicated to supporting the Bush-Cheney ticket in 2004 and was called Blogs for Bush. While I never met Cheney personally, I got pretty close to him at the 2004 Republican National Convention, where I watched his speech sound check from a rather close distance. It was a memorable moment for a young blogger.
This is as close as I ever got to Dick Cheney.
It was the 2004 Republican National Convention, I was there as a media credentialed blogger and got to see his speech sound check. pic.twitter.com/VfcHbrPaTR
— Matt Margolis (@mattmargolis) November 4, 2025
As of this writing, former President George W. Bush has yet to release a statement.
Cheney’s later years were marked by significant political shifts. He endorsed Trump for president in 2016 but later became a critic after Trump attacked his daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney, and he bizarrely endorsed Kamala Harris over Trump in the 2024 election.
Outside of politics, Cheney faced serious health challenges throughout his life. He survived multiple heart attacks and ultimately received a heart transplant in 2012, calling it “the gift of life itself.” His family remembers him as “a great and good man” who taught his children and grandchildren to live with courage, honor, love, and kindness.
Whatever one thinks of his record, Cheney’s influence on American politics and foreign policy was significant. For sure, his legacy is a complex one. Many on the left are disgustingly celebrating his passing on social media. Of course, there are plenty on the right who don’t have nice things to say about him now, either, due to his turning on Trump.
As for me, I probably wouldn’t even be writing for PJ Media today if it weren’t for the Bush-Cheney years. Supporting that ticket opened the door for me to dive into political blogging and everything that followed. Sure, I didn’t agree with every decision Cheney made later on, but I’m not about to join the chorus of critics trying to rewrite history. I’ll remember him as part of the team that gave America the steady, determined leadership it desperately needed in the dark days after 9/11.
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