Bill Richardson, a former two-term Democratic governor of New Mexico and later U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has died. He was 75.
The Richardson Center for Global Engagement, which he founded, said in a statement Saturday that he died in his sleep at his home in Chatham, Massachusetts.
"Governor Richardson passed away peacefully in his sleep last night. He lived his entire life in the service of others – including both his time in government and his subsequent career helping to free people held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. There was no person that Governor Richardson would not speak with if it held the promise of returning a person to freedom. The world has lost a champion for those held unjustly abroad and I have lost a mentor and a dear friend," said Mickey Bergman, vice president of the Richardson Center.
"Right now our focus is on supporting his family, including his wife Barbara of over 50 years, who was with him when he passed. We will share further information as it becomes available," he added.
Bill Richardson, former governor of New Mexico, speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. Richardson died in his sleep at his home in Chatham, Massachusetts, the Richardson Center for Global Engagement announced Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. (Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
This is a developing story and will be updated.