Veteran US diplomat Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, died Monday at a Washington, D.C. hospital, just three days after falling ill while working at the State Department.
Holbrooke, 69, had 21 hours of emergency surgery from Friday into Saturday morning to repair a tear in his aorta, the artery carrying blood from the heart. He was listed in critical condition.
White House adviser David Axelrod described him Sunday as “fighting for his life.”
Later Sunday, he had more surgery to improve his circulation. “He is surrounded by his family, friends, colleagues and staff,” the State Department said at the time.
State Department officials confirmed his death to Fox News Channel on Monday evening.
Holbrooke is survived by two sons, David and Anthony, and his wife of 15 years, journalist and author Kati Marton.
On Saturday, President Barack Obama described Holbrooke as “a towering figure in American foreign policy, a critical member of my Afghanistan and Pakistan team, and a tireless public servant who has won the admiration of the American people and people around the world.”
Earlier Monday Obama was full of more praise for Holbrooke, dubbing him a “tough son of a gun,” and adding “we’re all praying for Richard’s recovery.”
The hard-charging Holbrooke, a well-known figure in American diplomacy for decades who helped broker the peace accord in Bosnia, was a key policy maker on the Afghanistan-Pakistan situation. His death came just before the administration was to release an assessment of the war in Afghanistan.
Holbrooke was taken to George Washington University Hospital after becoming ill Friday while working nearby at State Department headquarters. According to at least one report, he was in the office of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when he became ill.
Obama said Clinton had been to visit his bedside, along with Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Thomas E. Donilon, Obama’s national security adviser.
A man with a long career both in and out of public service, Holbrooke was described by the Washington Post as “a gifted diplomat and a ruthless negotiator with a knack for getting his way.”
Among his many positions, in addition to his current one, were US Ambassador to the UN, US Ambassador to Germany, Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
He also was the chief architect of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the war in Bosnia.
Outside the government, Holbrooke held senior positions at two Wall Street firms — Credit Suisse First Boston, where he was vice chairman, and Lehman Brothers, where he was Managing Director.
He also wrote “To End a War,” a memoir of the Dayton experience, and co-authored presidential adviser Clark Clifford’s memoir “Counsel to the President.”
Holbrooke was born April 24, 1941 in New York City. He graduated from Brown University, was in the foreign service in Vietnam, Peace Corps director in Morocco and was managing director of “Foreign Policy” magazine before becoming Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Jimmy Carter administration.
He was appointed Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2009.