Dick Cheney, considered by many to be one of the most powerful vice-presidents in US history, has died at the age of 84, his family has said in a statement.

He died from complications of pneumonia and cardiovascular disease, his family said.

The Republican — a former Wyoming congressman and secretary of defense — was already a major Washington player when then-Texas governor George W Bush chose him to be his running mate in the 2000 presidential race that Mr Bush went on to win.

As vice-president from 2001 to 2009, Mr Cheney fought vigorously for an expansion of the power of the presidency, having felt that it had been eroded since the Watergate scandal that drove his one-time boss Richard Nixon from office.

He also expanded the clout of the vice-president's office by putting together

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