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May 02, 2026

Former CIA Director Woolsey Dies After Battle With ‘Havana Syndrome’

A longstanding member of the intelligence community’s ‘deep state’ has just passed away, according to reports over the weekend.

Former CIA Director James Woolsey, 84, died after years of declining health that his wife says were caused by Havana Syndrome, a revelation that comes as the U.S. government has begun reassessing its approach to the mysterious condition.

Woolsey, who served as CIA director for two years under President Bill Clinton in the early 1990s, died of a stroke at his Washington, D.C., home, according to his wife, Conchita Sarnoff Woolsey.

She told The Washington Post that his health steadily deteriorated as a result of Havana Syndrome, a condition reported to have affected more than 1,500 U.S. intelligence officers, diplomats, and other government personnel in dozens of countries since cases first emerged in Cuba in 2016.

If her account is accurate, Woolsey would be the highest-ranking known U.S. government official to have suffered from the condition, adding new significance to the long-running debate over whether the federal government adequately recognized and responded to the condition.

According to the New York Post, Woolsey’s symptoms began after an incident in Washington, D.C., in 2017 and worsened following a second reported episode in Istanbul in 2018.

“We have traveled the world trying to find a cure and a treatment, which sadly we never found,” Sarnoff Woolsey said.

She did not provide details about the specific circumstances surrounding either reported incident.

However, symptoms commonly associated with Havana Syndrome—including ear pain, memory loss, fatigue, migraines, dizziness, cognitive impairment, and hearing loss—have been documented in numerous reported cases.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and House Speaker Mike Johnson present a wreath on behalf of the Legislative Branch at the Lying in State...

The U.S. government officially refers to the condition as “anomalous health incidents.”

The agency issued a statement upon learning of Woolsey’s death.

“CIA extends our condolences to the family and loved ones of former Director James Woolsey,” it said.

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