Former US President George HW Bush has died at the age of 94 at home in Houston, Texas.
Bush Sr served as the 41st US president between 1989 and 1993, his term defined by the end of the Cold War and the first Iraq war against Saddam Hussein.
While his health had been failing in recent years, he still managed to make public appearances.
The former president died at 22:10 local time on Friday (04:10 GMT Saturday), a family spokesperson said.
In April, he was admitted to hospital with a blood infection but had since been discharged. Bush was also being treated for a form of Parkinson’s disease.
He died seven months after his wife, Barbara.
“Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died,” his son George Bush Jr, who went on to serve as the 43rd US president, said in a statement.
“[He] was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for.”
President Trump will be attending the funeral in Washington, the White House said, and Wednesday 5 December has been designated a day of national mourning.
He has had difficult relations with the Bush family and did not attend Barbara Bush’s funeral. But he is due to speak to George Bush Jr today.
In one of dozens of tributes from former and current world leaders, Mr Trump praised Bush’s “essential authenticity, disarming wit, and unwavering commitment to faith, family and country.”
The US flag has been lowered to half staff at the White House.
Source: BBC
