Retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, who commanded the forces that drove Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait in 1991, has died at the age of 78, The Associated Press reported.

A U.S. official told the wire service that Schwarzkopf died Thursday in Tampa, Fla.

A statement issued Thursday by former President George H.W. Bush offered condolences.
Schwarzkopf, known as "Stormin' Norman," gained national attention in 1991 while leading Operation Desert Storm, which liberated Kuwait after the Iraqi invasion.
He retired there after serving as commander-in-chief of the U.S. Central Command.
Former Bush called Schwarzkopf "a true American patriot and one of the great military leaders of his generation."