Former vice president Germán Vargas Lleras died on May 8 2026 in Bogotá at age 64 after health complications from a brain tumor. The news prompted immediate reactions from political leaders across the country.
Germán Vargas Lleras died last night in Bogotá after a progressive decline in health caused by a benign meningioma diagnosed years earlier. The politician underwent several treatments and surgeries in Colombia and the United States.
President Gustavo Petro expressed his sorrow on the social network X. “I regret the death of Germán Vargas Lleras. Both in the Senate and on the campaign he behaved like a gladiator,” he wrote. He highlighted the former vice president’s seriousness in political debate.
Former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez also reacted and noted that the passing occurs “at a bad time for the homeland.” Uribe praised his uprightness and democratic convictions. Vargas Lleras served as senator, minister and vice president during Juan Manuel Santos’s government.
