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.
He had also been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, which is a cancer in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell, according to NBC News. People with the immunocompromising condition are at higher risk of severe COVID-19, leading the International Myeloma Foundation to “strongly” recommend those with the condition get vaccinated against the disease.
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 Joe Biden said in a statement Monday afternoon that he is “deeply saddened by Powell’s death and called him a “patriot of unmatched honor and dignity.”
“Above all, Colin was my friend,” Biden said. “Easy to share a laugh with. A trusted confidant in good and hard times. He could drive his Corvette Stingray like nobody’s business — something I learned firsthand on the race track when I was Vice President. And I am forever grateful for his support of my candidacy for president and for our shared battle for the soul of the nation. I will miss being able to call on his wisdom in the future.”
Obama posted a statement about Powell’s death Monday on Facebook. He said he was “deeply appreciative” of his endorsement in 2008 and even more impressed by “how he did it,” saying that “at a time when conspiracy theories were swirling, with some questioning my faith, General Powell took the opportunity to get to the heart of the matter in a way only he could.”
When Powell endorsed Obama, he addressed conspiracy theories that Obama was a Muslim.
“Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he’s a Christian. He’s always been a Christian,” Powell said at the time. “But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer’s no, that’s not America.”
Obama said Monday that “that’s who Colin Powell was.”
“He understood what was best in this country, and tried to bring his own life, career and public statements in line with that ideal,” he said. “It’s why, for all the battles he fought and problems he solved, Michelle and I will always look to General Powell as an example of what America — and Americans — can and should be if we wish to remain the last, best hope of earth.”
President George W. Bush also 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.
Former President Jimmy Carter said in a statement he is “mourning the loss” of Powell.
“A true patriot and public servant, we were honored to work beside him to strengthen communities in the United States, help resolve conflict in Haiti and observe elections in Jamaica,” he wrote. “His courage and integrity will be an inspiration for generations to come. We will keep his family in our prayers during this difficult time.”
“America has lost a trailblazing leader with the passing of Colin Powell,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wrote in a statement. “It is hard to imagine a more quintessentially American story: A son of Jamaican immigrants who learned Yiddish from his boyhood neighbors in the Bronx becomes a four-star General in the United States Army and serves four presidential administrations, including as National Security Advisor, the youngest-ever Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the first Black Secretary of State.”
“The sad loss of Colin Powell is another sad indication of the devastating toll that the coronavirus continues to take on our country,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote. “As we pray for General Powell’s loved ones, we pray for the families of the nearly 725,000 Americans who have been taken from us by this vicious virus.”
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