Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell died on Monday morning. His family cited coronavirus complications in a Facebook statement.
“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. He was fully vaccinated,” the family added. “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.”
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Powell was reportedly grappling with cancer at the time of his death.
A national security advisor to Ronald Reagan, Powell first attained widespread international fame during the first Iraq War. He later served as the nation’s first black secretary of state under George W. Bush.
His prestige declined during the second Iraq War as controversy over the conflict roiled American politics and strained global partnerships.
Powell officially left the Republican Party in 2021, but he effectively left the party during the Bush years when he endorsed Barack Obama in 2008. Powell was also a critic of President Donald Trump.
Breakthrough cases resulting in hospitalization and death remain rare particularly among those who don’t have compromised immune systems.
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