Gen. Al Gray, the 29th commandant of the Marine Corps, died Wednesday in his home following an extended period of hospice care.

The 95-year-old New Jersey native rose from private to four-star general, leading the Corps during the fall of the Soviet Union and the Persian Gulf War.

Retired Lt. Gen. George Flynn, who serves as his power of attorney, confirmed that Gray died at 12:57 a.m. from health complications in his Alexandria, Virginia, home where he had been under hospice care.

Gray served as commandant from 1987 to 1991, retiring after 41 years of military service. During his tenure and in retirement he was widely beloved by Marines both in and out of uniform.

The former commandant remained closely tied to Marine initiatives, programs and organizations such as the Marine Corps Association and Foundation, the Semper Fi Fund, the Potomac Institute and various Marine unit functions and events.

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