Colin Powell, former Secretary of State, is dead at 84.
In a statement shared to Facebook on Monday, the Powell family said the cause of death was complications from COVID-19. Powell, according to the family, was fully vaccinated. Per CNN, however, he had multiple myeloma, which is a type of blood cancer that would have had an impact on his immune response. Powell also had Parkinson’s disease.
“General Colin L. Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away this morning due to complications from Covid 19,” the family said. “He was fully vaccinated. We want to thank the medical staff at Walter Reed National Medical Center for their caring treatment. We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather, and a great American.”
Powell, who spent the bulk of his political career as a Republican, was the first Black Secretary of State. He was also the first Black national security advisor. And during his time as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he oversaw 28 crises.
Powell’s political career spanned the presidencies of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. In 2003, Powell pushed for war with Iraq during a since-panned United Nations presentation. The remarks included, among other things, misleading statements and fabrications.
Powell later called the moment a “painful” one for him, describing it as a “blot” on his personal career.
In 2008, Powell didn’t back the Republican party and instead endorsed Barack Obama’s ultimately successful presidential campaign. He also endorsed Obama for re-election in 2012.
“I think he is a transformational figure, he is a new generation coming onto the world stage, onto the American stage, and for that reason I’ll be voting for Sen. Barack Obama,” Powell said in 2008 during a Meet the Press appearance.
In a statement on Monday, George W. Bush—who appeared before a premature “Mission Accomplished” banner when speaking on Iraq operations in May of 2003—said he and wife Laura were “deeply saddened” by Powell’s death.
“Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of Colin Powell,” the statement reads. “He was a great public servant, starting with his time as a soldier during Vietnam. Many Presidents relied on General Powell’s counsel and experience. He was National Security Adviser under President Reagan, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under my father and President Clinton, and Secretary of State during my Administration. He was such a favorite of Presidents that he earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom—twice. He was highly respected at home and abroad. And most important, Colin was a family man and a friend. Laura and I send Alma and their children our sincere condolences as they remember the life of a great man.”
