• Alan Greenspan, former Federal Reserve Chairman, died at 100 from complications of Parkinson’s disease.
• He served as Fed chair from 1987 to 2006, steering the economy through major events like the 1987 crash and the dot-com bubble.
• His legacy includes both praise for economic stability during his tenure and criticism for policies linked to the 2008 financial crisis.
• Greenspan was married to NBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell, who commemorated him as a brilliant and kind partner.
• He remains a controversial figure, seen as both an economic savior and a catalyst for the financial crisis.

Alan Greenspan, the influential former chairman of the US Federal Reserve who oversaw a significant period of economic growth, died on June 22 at the age of 100 due to complications from Parkinson’s disease, as confirmed by his wife, Andrea Mitchell, a prominent NBC correspondent. Greenspan was appointed to lead the Federal Reserve by President Ronald Reagan in 1987 and served until 2006, making him one of the longest-serving chairs in the institution's history, according to BBC and Reuters.

During his tenure, Greenspan is credited with presiding over what many consider the longest economic expansion in US history, steering the economy through a series of challenges, including the 1987 stock market crash, the Asian financial crisis of 1997, and the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in 2001. His approach to monetary policy, which included keeping interest rates low during a period of rising employment, has been described as promoting significant economic prosperity, earning him the title of "economic maestro" from India Times and LA Times.

Despite his achievements, Greenspan’s legacy is marred by criticism regarding the financial crisis of 2007-2008, which many experts argue arose due to his policies that encouraged risky financial behaviors while advocating for minimal regulation. His tendency to trust in the market's self-correcting nature has been labeled naive by critics who hold him accountable for failing to prevent the financial meltdown. Stephen Oliner, a former senior Fed official, remarked, "I think the deification that came just before the financial crisis was never really deserved, and I think the lambasting that he took after he left was never fully deserved either,” as noted by Bangkok Post and Channel News Asia.

Greenspan's early life saw him with a passion for music; he studied at the Juilliard School before pivoting to economics. His relationship with the influential author Ayn Rand profoundly impacted his economic philosophy, as he became an advocate for laissez-faire capitalism. After leaving the Fed, he transitioned into a consultancy and continued to write and speak on economic matters, maintaining an active presence in discussions surrounding monetary policy and market behavior, according to Al Jazeera and SCMP.

Remembered as a complex figure who shaped US economic policy for decades, Greenspan received numerous accolades throughout his career, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He will be remembered not just for his contributions but for the controversial decisions that followed, which sparked a significant discussion about economic regulation and policy fundamentally, as echoed by Le Monde and India Times.