A State funeral was held on Friday for Hugo Chavez, the fiery president of Venezuela, who passed away on March 5th after a battle with cancer.

Even after his death the controversial Chavez has stirred controversy as Venezuela, the region and the world ponders his legacy.

Elected to power in 1999, Chavez was both “praised as an anti-imperialist revolutionary and condemned as a power-hungry authoritarian.” Though he redistributed Venezuela’s oil wealth through welfare programs for the poor, Chavez left behind a hurting economy with little investments (other than energy) and a lot of corruption. He loved his people and was a captivating speaker, but managed his power as through his cult of followers calling him “El Comandante.” Yet one quality of Hugo remained without polarization: his dislike of the United States government.

Calling Chavez “anti-imperialist” essentially means “anti-American influence” — he is noted as “the de facto leader of a leftist bloc of Latin American countries that sought to curb the U.S.’s influence in the region.” We must remember, though, that Chavez vowed to change his country when he was sworn in over a decade ago — improving women’s rights, providing health care in disease-ridden slums, and especially demanding the United States cease its economic hegemony over the Latin American oil industry.

Many recall his heated remark during a 2006 speech given to the United Nations General Assembly, speaking of former president George W. Bush:

Yesterday, ladies and gentleman, from this rostrum, the president of the United States, the gentleman whom I refer to as the devil, came here, talking as if he owned the world. And it still smells of sulfur today.

The White House has said next to nothing since Chavez’s death. President Obama gave the following statement on Tuesday:

At this challenging time of President Hugo Chavez’s passing, the United States reaffirms its support for the Venezuelan people and its interest in developing a constructive relationship with the Venezuelan government.

I am no longer just me, I am a people. I feel incarnated in all of you….You, too, are Chavez. Chavez has truly become a people.