Henry Kissinger, the well-known former secretary of state, has died at the age of 100. 

Kissinger Associates, Inc. - Kissinger's consulting firm - announced his death on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023.

"Dr. Henry Kissinger, a respected American scholar and statesman, died today at his home in Connecticut," the firm wrote. 

The firm did not provide any further specifics about Kissinger's passing.

But, after providing a brief overview of Kissinger's life, the firm indicated that Kissinger "will be interred at a private family service" and that, "at a later date, there will be a memorial service in New York City."

Kissinger, who came to the United States as a Jewish refugee fleeing from Nazi Germany, played a prominent role - as secretary of state - in the United States government during the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

Fox News reports that, among other things, Kissinger "pioneered the policy of détente with the Soviet Union, began a rapprochement with China, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for negotiating the Paris Peace Accords to end U.S. involvement in Vietnam."

But, Kissinger's influence in U.S. politics goes far beyond his tenure as secretary of state in the Nixon and Ford administrations.

ABC News reports:

Kissinger remained active in politics in the decades since his time in office and had taken on a respected elder role for some Republicans and Democrats. He met with Alaska's then-Gov. Sarah Palin in 2008, and Mitt Romney reportedly spoke by phone with Kissinger during the 2012 campaign. Kissinger met with Donald Trump shortly after Trump won the 2016 presidential election and the two later met in the White House in 2017.

It would be a bit of an understatement to say that Kissinger was a controversial figure.

Supporters of Kissinger will point to the things mentioned above, namely his role in negotiating the end of the Vietnam War and in improving relations between the U.S. and two of its biggest enemies, namely, China and Russia.

Detractors of Kissinger will point to other things. NBC News reports:

Kissinger’s detractors denounced him for the central role he played in expanding U.S. military involvement in Vietnam, bringing a wide-scale bombing campaign to Cambodia and supporting brutal regimes in Argentina, Chile, Indonesia and Pakistan. His most vociferous opponents labeled him a war criminal, and some called on him to face charges at the Hague.

Regardless of one's view of Kissinger, what cannot be disputed is the fact that he was one of the leading figures in American politics in the 20th century. There is no doubt that he will go down in history as such.

Kissinger is survived by his wife, Nancy Maginnes Kissinger, to whom he had been married for nearly 50 years, as well as by his two children from his first marriage and by his five grandchildren.