Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger died this Wednesday at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. His consulting firm confirmed the death but did not provide any information about the cause of death.
“He will be buried at a private family ceremony. There will be a memorial service later in New York,” Kissinger Associates said in a statement.
He is survived by his wife Nancy Maginnes Kissinger, two children from his first marriage and five grandchildren. His relatives suggested in the statement that instead of flowers, people send donations to the Animal Medical Center in New York.
The legendary and controversial diplomat remained active until the end despite his advanced age. Last July, as he turned 100, he visited China to meet with the country’s president, Xi Jinping, and senior officials.
It was also common in the media to read his opinion on current issues such as the war in Ukraine or the risks of artificial intelligence.
Kissinger was born on May 27, 1923 in Fürth, Germany, into a Jewish family who came to New York as a teenager fleeing Nazism.
He, along with his Vietnamese counterpart Le Duc Thuo, received the Nobel Peace Prize for their secret negotiations to end the Vietnam War and normalized diplomatic relations between the United States and China during Richard Nixon’s presidency (1969–1974).
However, he will also be remembered for his support of dictatorships such as those in Argentina between 1976 and 1983 and for the final years of Francisco Franco’s regime in Spain (ending with the leader’s death in 1975), as well as for his role in the suppression of Operation Condor against left-wing Latin American opponents or his support of the coup against Salvador Allende in Chile in 1973.
To date, he is the only person in United States history to have held the positions of both Secretary of State and National Security Advisor. EFE