George HW Bush, 41st US president, dies at 94

Spokesman Jim McGrath said the 41st US president passed away shortly after 10pm on Friday night at his home in Houston, Texas. His death follows the passing of his wife of more than 70 years, Barbara Bush, in April this year.

Bush senior, who would later see his son George W Bush become the 43rd president in 2001, served as leader between 1989-1993. Only one other US president, John Adams, had a son who also became president.

The 43rd president issued a statement on Friday following his father's death, saying the elder Bush "was a man of the highest character."

"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," the statement read.

A patrician New Englander, Bush's presidency soared after a US-led coalition's victory over Iraq in Kuwait in 1991. 

With the backing of the United Nations and a green light from a reluctant Congress, Bush unleashed a punishing air war against Iraq and a five-day ground juggernaut that sent Iraqi forces reeling in disarray back to Baghdad. He basked in what has been described as the biggest outpouring of patriotism and pride in America's military since World War II, and his approval ratings soared to nearly 90 percent.

His decision not to remove Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, however, dogged his legacy for many years, with the former president later expressing his regret at not having toppled the strongman.

Still, Bush’s decisions in the 1991 war and its aftermath echo even now. The Kurdish crisis gave birth to the US-imposed no-fly zone in northern Iraq that allowed the Kurds to flourish into the semi-autonomous region now demanding independence. Defence agreements with Gulf nations grew into a series of major military installations across the region. And the presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia, home to the Muslim world’s holiest sites, served as a chief complaint of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden ahead of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.

His son would launch the 2003 invasion of Iraq after 9/11 and become so hated in the Arab world an Iraq journalist would even throw a shoe at him during a news conference. 

After the first Iraq invasion, the elder Bush's presidency plummeted in the throes of a weak economy that led voters to turn him out of office after a single term. Appearing distant and disconnected to voters, Bush lost out on a second term to the younger, more empathetic Bill Clinton.

Once out of office, Bush remained on the sidelines, except for an occasional speech or paid appearance and visits abroad.

He backed Clinton on the North American Free Trade Agreement, which had its genesis during his own presidency. He visited the Middle East, where he was revered by some for his defence of Kuwait. And he returned to China, where he was welcomed as "an old friend" from his days as the US ambassador there.