Former US Vice President, Walter Mondale Dies At 93

• Mondale had faced a few significant health issues in recent years
• He is preceded in death by his wife, Joan Mondale, who died in 2014, and daughter, Eleanor, in 2011

Walter Frederick “Fritz” Mondale, who served as vice president under then-President Jimmy Carter before waging his own unsuccessful White House bid in 1984, has died, according to a family spokesperson. He was 93.

Mondale died at home in downtown Minneapolis surrounded by family, spokesperson Kathy Tunheim said.

“It is with profound sadness that we share news that our beloved dad passed away today in Minneapolis, Minnesota,” Mondale’s family said in a statement. “As proud as we were of him leading the presidential ticket for Democrats in 1984, we know that our father’s public policy legacy is so much more than that.”

In an email to former staffers, Mondale acknowledged in a moving message that his “time has come.”

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“I am eager to rejoin Joan and Eleanor. Before I Go I wanted to let you know how much you mean to me. Never has a public servant had a better group of people working at their side! Together we have accomplished so much and I know you will keep up the good fight,” Mondale wrote.

“Joe in the White House certainly helps,” he added in reference to President Joe Biden. “I always knew it would be okay if I arrived some place and was greeted by one of you!”

In the final days of his life, Mondale received calls from many supporters and leaders. He was alert and able to have conversations, Tunheim said, including what a White House official described as a final call over the weekend with Biden.

Biden memorialized Mondale on Monday, calling him a “dear friend and mentor.” He said the Minnesota Democrat was one of the first people to greet him in the Senate, and was his first call when former President Barack Obama asked him to consider the vice presidency. “It was Walter Mondale who defined the vice presidency as a full partnership, and helped provide a model for my service,” Biden said in a statement.

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