Bernard Kerik, New York City’s police commissioner during 9/11 has died at age 69, the NYPD confirmed.

Kerik was appointed commissioner by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and became the face of the NYPD in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. He went on to organize the police force for Iraq in the wake of the war that would follow.

“I am heartbroken over the loss of my dear friend Bernie Kerik,” Giuliani said in a post on X. “He was a decorated police officer, Corrections commissioner and NYC police commissioner during the worst terrorist attack on American soil.”

Giuliani said Kerik is survived by his wife, son and two daughters. The cause of his death is unclear though people close to him said he was enduring an illness.

In 2009, Kerik pleaded guilty to tax fraud among other charges

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