At the age of 84 Former US Vice President Dick Cheney is dead

Sven Ziegler

4.11.2025

Dick Cheney, here at Trump's inauguration, is dead.
Dick Cheney, here at Trump's inauguration, is dead.
KEYSTONE

Former US Vice President Dick Cheney, one of the most influential Republicans in recent history, has died at the age of 84. As Vice President under George W. Bush, he shaped US foreign policy after the September 11 attacks like no other.

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  • Dick Cheney was Vice President of the USA under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009 and was considered an eminence grise in the White House.
  • He was one of the main architects of the Iraq war and a central strategist in the "war on terror".
  • According to his family, Cheney died at the age of 84.

Dick Cheney, probably the most powerful US Vice President of modern times and a key figure in the American "war on terror", is dead. According to his family, Cheney died at the age of 84.

During his term of office from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush, Cheney was far more than a deputy: He was regarded as a strategist and power center in the background - a politician who decisively influenced the direction of US foreign policy.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Cheney became the architect of a policy that shaped the country for decades to come. He drove the invasion of Afghanistan and later Iraq - the latter based on the false assumption that Saddam Hussein's regime possessed weapons of mass destruction.

Cheney's role in these decisions made him the most controversial figure in the Bush administration. Critics accused him of undermining democratic control mechanisms and encouraging the CIA to use torture.

After leaving politics, he remained a defining voice of the Republican right - openly critical of liberal currents, but also increasingly isolated from Donald Trump's generation.

Cheney is survived by his wife Lynne and two daughters, including Liz Cheney, who also achieved national prominence as a congresswoman and Trump critic.

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