Executive Vice President of Koch Industries, onetime vice-presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party, and brother to Charles Koch, passed away at the age of 79 today. The Koch brothers are considered the 11th richest people in the world and are credited with fueling the Tea Party Movement through investing more than $1 billion over the past several elections in support of candidates that denied climate change, fought against Obamacare, and opposed strict gun laws.

While the Koch brothers never publicly endorsed President Trump, many Democrats view them as champions to his cause. As a result, people on both sides of the political spectrum aired their thoughts quite loudly on Twitter today following David's death.

BREAKING: David Koch, billionaire businessman and influential GOP donor, dies https://t.co/cKTcEfmFLf pic.twitter.com/u6JpjmUiOJ

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 23, 2019

 

David Koch has left the building without cash, credit cards, or checking accounts. As we all do.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) August 23, 2019

 

RIP to a man who lived a life of liberty, peace and philanthropy. Great blessings being great responsibility, and David Koch lived that way. His many contributions will have lasting impact on our country. My thoughts are with his family today.

— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) August 23, 2019

 

David Koch has died. In lieu of flowers please construct a shadow network of tax deductible shell companies to donate to the further perpetuation of environmental destruction and income inequality.

— Josh Gondelman (@joshgondelman) August 23, 2019

 

Today, our 1980 nominee for Vice President David Koch passed away. Often a focal point of political debate, David spent much of his life contributing and working in his own way toward what he believed in: a freer world. #RIP #DavidKoch pic.twitter.com/8IzmCqBnzR

— Libertarian Party (@LPNational) August 23, 2019

 

David Koch, RIP.He's best known for his policy/political giving, but he gave far more to cancer research and the arts. I had the pleasure of interviewing him for PhilanthropyMag about his cancer philanthropy at MIT and elsewhere back in 2012: https://t.co/KK5UQGQGgC pic.twitter.com/sZJG9iMBXy

— Evan Sparks (@EvanSparks) August 23, 2019

 

Pouring out a 40 of toxic industrial slurry into a storm drain in honor of David Koch.

— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) August 23, 2019

 

I saw the #KochBrothers trending and I thought they did something else humanisticly repugnant….Then I realized that #DavidKoch died and I was relieved. pic.twitter.com/FD30DWRD7l

— Malik Leigh – Atty/CEO of Dapple Pay Wallet LLC (@M_WatsonLeigh) August 23, 2019

David Koch fought for CJ reform, LGBTQ rights, immigrants, free markets and personal liberty. Please don’t dance on my grave someday just because I don’t cleanly fit into your party. RIP to an unflinchingly principled man and shame on those mocking his death.

— Connor Haaland (@Chaal1625) August 23, 2019