India, May 30 -- Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik passed away on Thursday following a brief illness. He was 69. According to the New York Post, Kerik was suffering from a cardiac-related condition and was hospitalized. He is survived by his wife, Hala Matli, and three children, including a son from his previous marriage to Jacqueline Llerena.

Hala Matli, a Syrian immigrant, met Kerik in 1996 while working as a hygienist in his dentist's office, as reported by the New York Daily News. The two reportedly had multiple argument over him skipping appointments.

"We despised each other," Kerik wrote in his autobiography, "It was a running battle between us, me skipping appointments, her pointing out how inconsiderate I was."

They eventu...