Former US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who oversaw the Iraq war and the US invasion of Afghanistan, died at the age of 88 .

“It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Donald Rumsfeld, an American statesman and devoted husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. At 88, he was surrounded by family in his beloved Taos, New Mexico,” the Rumsfeld family said in a statement.

Rumsfeld served under President Gerald Ford from 1975 to 1977, and President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2006.

Even after his departure from the Bush administration, Rumsfeld remained vocal on defense issues and he even critiqued then-President Obama’s strategy in Syria.

Reacting to the demise of the former Defense Secretary, Bush praised Rumsfeld by calling him “an exemplary public servant and a very good man” who led “a busy and purposeful life.”

“A man of intelligence, integrity, and almost inexhaustible energy, he never paled before tough decisions, and never flinched from responsibility,” former US president said.