Colin Powell has died at age 84 due to COVID complications.
- Powell, the first Black US secretary of state, helped shape American policy for decades, specifically in the last years of the 20th century and early 21st century, CNN reports.
Powell reportedly died of complications related to COVID-19, according to his family, who posted about his death on Facebook.
- “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,” his family wrote in the post.
Per CNN, Powell had multiple myeloma, which is cancer that forms in plasma cells — or a type of white blood cell.
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Powell has one of the biggest names in political history, serving as the first African American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H.W. Bush.
- Before that, he served as the first Black national security adviser under Ronald Reagan’s presidency.
- Later, he became the first Black secretary of state under George W. Bush, leading the country’s military during the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War.
- Per CNN, Powell “was considered a leading contender to become the first Black President of the United States.”