Richard Holbrooke, a forceful presence in American diplomacy for more than 45 years, died tonight in Washington, D.C. He was 69.

His death, after emergency surgery Friday for a torn aorta, was confirmed by sources to ABC News White House Correspondent Jake Tapper.

A White House official has called U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke “tough and resilient,” as the special envoy struggles to recover from emergency heart surgery.

The State Department says Richard Holbrooke, the president’s special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, is in critical condition at a Washington hospital after surgery to repair a tear in his aorta.

Department spokesman P.J. Crowley says the surgery at George Washington University Hospital was completed Saturday morning on the 69-year-old Holbrooke and that his family is with him.

A department official says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited the hospital on Friday night and again Saturday.

Holbrooke was named to his post by President Barack Obama early in his administration.

The veteran diplomat is perhaps best known for helping broker the 1995 agreement that ended the war in Bosnia.

President Barack Obama on Saturday night called Richard Holbrooke “a towering figure in American foreign policy” and said he is praying for the critically ill diplomat’s recovery.

Holbrooke was seen walking under his own power to the department’s parking garage with a person from State’s medical office.

In statement issued on behalf of the Pakistan Government and the Pakistan Foreign Office, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi said: “Ambassador Holbrooke is a great friend of Pakistan. We wish him health and long life.”

December 11, 2010
Associated Press

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