Former US president HW Bush dead at 94

Former US president George H.W. Bush, who helped steer America through the end of the Cold War, died Friday at age 94, his family announced.

Bush’s passing comes just months after the death in April of his wife and revered first lady Barbara Bush -- his “most beloved woman in the world” -- to whom he was married for 73 years. “Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died,” 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,” he said. “The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41’s life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens.”

Bush is survived by his five children and 17 grandchildren. Bush is expected to lie in state in the US Capitol. President Donald Trump, who was in Argentina attending a G20 summit of world leaders, hailed Bush’s “sound judgment, common sense, and unflappable leadership.”

“Through his essential authenticity, disarming wit, and unwavering commitment to faith, family, and country, President Bush inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service,” Trump said in a statement. “As president, he set the stage for the decades of prosperity that have followed.”