Former US President George HW Bush has died at the age of 94, his son George W Bush has announced.
His wife Barbara died in April at the of age 92. Their children included former President George W. Bush and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
“Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died,” his son, former president George W Bush, said in a statement released on Twitter by a family spokesman. “George H.W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for.
Reacting to Bush’s death, former President Barack Obama tweeted, “America has lost a patriot and humble servant in George Herbert Walker Bush. While our hearts are heavy today, they are also filled with gratitude. Our thoughts are with the entire Bush family tonight – and all who were inspired by George and Barbara’s example.”
America has lost a patriot and humble servant in George Herbert Walker Bush. While our hearts are heavy today, they are also filled with gratitude. Our thoughts are with the entire Bush family tonight – and all who were inspired by George and Barbara’s example. pic.twitter.com/g9OUPu2pjY
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 1, 2018
He was a World War Two aviator and Texan oil tycoon before entering politics in 1964 as a Republican.
In April, he was admitted to a hospital intensive care unit with an infection, a week after the death of his wife Barbara.
It was under his Presidency that the US had first invaded in Iraq on 2 August, 1990. Soon after Iraq invaded oil-rich neighbor Kuwait, Bush had responded by assembling an international coalition of nearly three dozen nations.
A five-month air bombardment dubbed Operation Desert Shield and the subsequent 100-hour Operation Desert Storm land battle pushed Iraqi troops out of Kuwait. The US forces, however, failed to oust Saddam Hussain. His son, George Bush invaded Iraq again in 2003, killing hundreds of thousands of civilians. The second invasion of Iraq resulted in the hanging of Saddam Hussain.
