Bush senior, who led US in Soviet fall, dies

Houston: George H W Bush, the 41st president of the USA who led America during the dramatic collapse of the Soviet Union and engineered the defeat of an audacious Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, died here on Friday. He was 94. His death, which was announced by his office, came less than eight months after that of his wife of 73 years, Barbara Bush.

"Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died," George Bush Jr, who went on to serve as the 43rd US president, said in a statement. He was "a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for. 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 Jr added.

The decorated war pilot and former CIA chief was elected president on November 8, 1988. He was sworn in on January 20, 1989, and served until January 20, 1993. Bush was suffering from Parkinson's disease that forced him to use a wheelchair in recent years, and had been in and out of hospitals in recent months as his health declined.