Diplomat Richard Holbrooke Dies 4.43K Max Read 12/13/10 08:15PM Filed to: and now he's dead and now he's dead Richard Holbrooke Diplomacy Afghanistan Pakistan diplomat Tweetg Fb Gettypic Richard Holbrooke, the longtime U.S. diplomat and current special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, has died at age 69, apparently of a torn aorta. He had been admitted to the hospital over the weekend, and underwent surgery on Saturday.