He was president of Venezuela from 2000 to 2006.
Elections
Consolidation of power
Downfall
Chavez' downfall came when he was implicated by the US and Colombia in aiding and abetting FARC and other drug cartels. Things became worse and war seemingly became inevitable when INTERPOL confirmed the documents were real.
The war began when John McCain gave evidence to the UN of Venezuelan drug trafficking across the Caribbean. Meanwhile, Tony Blair said that Venezuela was the root of much of Britain's Cocaine. The UN General Assembly approved US/British/Colombian action by a slim majority, as they were very reluctant to approve the idea.
Caracas was stormed within a week, and during the fall, Chavez tried to flee, apparently into the jungle. While fleeing, he was hit in the heart by a stray bullet and killed.