Colin Powell, former U.S. secretary of state under President George W. Bush, died Monday morning from COVID-19 complications, his family wrote on Facebook.
The 84-year-old was fully vaccinated against the virus, according to his family.
Powell was the first the Black person to serve as secretary of state and as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He also was awarded two Presidential Medals of Freedom.
"We want to thank the medical staff at Walter Reed National Medical Center for their caring treatment," his family wrote. "We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American."
Powell was appointed as secretary of state in January 2001 and served in the role for four years before leaving in January 2005. His time in the position was "dominated by the challenges the Bush Administration faced after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks," according to the U.S. Department of State.
"Powell was one of the foremost supporters of taking swift military action against al-Qaeda and demanded immediate cooperation from Afghanistan and Pakistan in the U.S. search for those who were complicit in the attacks," the department wrote.
But he also "pursued other important U.S. foreign policy initiatives and grappled with various crises that arose between 2001 and 2005."
Prior to his time as secretary of state, Powell was a leader in the U.S. military. He joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) while attending the City College of New York and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army when he graduated in 1958.
He served 35 years in the Army and became President Ronald Reagan's deputy national security adviser in 1987 before serving as national security adviser from 1988 until 1989. He was then promoted to the rank of general and was appointed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by President George H.W. Bush.
"In the four years Powell served in that capacity, he oversaw 28 crises, including Operation Desert Storm in 1991," the department said.
After retiring from the military, Powell was considered a top contender for a presidential bid, though he never ran.
When he left his role as secretary of state, Powell worked with America's Promise Alliance and served on the boards of directors for the Council on Foreign Relations, the Eisenhower Fellowship Program and the Powell Center at the City College of New York.
In August 2020, Powell endorsed then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden for president. He had previously endorsed President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. Powell also said he planned to vote for then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016.
In January, following the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Powell said he "can no longer call himself a fellow Republican," saying on CNN that he thinks Republicans who refused to condemn President Donald Trump following the attack realize they "encouraged, at least, this wildness to grow and grow."
President George W. Bush wrote in a statement Monday that he is "deeply saddened" by Powell's death.
"He was a great public servant, starting with his time as a soldier during Vietnam," he wrote. "Many presidents relied on General Powell's counsel and experience."
Bush said Powell was most importantly 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," he said.
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