Former President George W. Bush appeared on the field during Monday Night Football shortly before it was announced his vice president, Dick Cheney, had died.
Bush, 79, and his wife, former first lady Laura Bush, were part of a pregame ceremony honoring Medal of Honor recipients during the national anthem before the Dallas Cowboys faced the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Monday, November 3.
The former first couple also participated in the coin toss before the game, which was ultimately a 27-17 victory for the visiting Cardinals.
Cheney’s death was announced in a statement released by his family on Tuesday, November 4.
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The former vice president, who served in Bush’s White House from 2001 to 2009, died on Monday due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease. He was 84 years old.
Cheney was plagued by cardiovascular issues throughout his life, suffering five heart attacks before undergoing a heart transplant in 2012 at the age of 74.
President Bush released a statement about Cheney’s death on Tuesday, calling his passing “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,” Bush wrote. “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.”
Bush said he was “still grateful” that Cheney chose to be “at my side” for all eight years of his time in the Oval Office.
“Dick was a calm and steady presence in the White House amid great national challenges,” the former president said. “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.”
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He continued, “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.”
Cheney’s wife of 61 years, Lynne, his daughters, Liz and Mary, and other family members were by his side when he died on Monday night, the family’s statement said.
“For decades, Dick Cheney served our nation, including as White House Chief of Staff, Wyoming’s Congressman, Secretary of Defense and Vice President of the United States,” the statement added. “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 concluded. “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.”
