WASHINGTON (Reuters) – General Colin Powell, a former U.S. secretary of state and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, 84, died of complications from COVID-19 on Monday, according to his Facebook page. He was 84.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Colin Powell, the first Black U.S. secretary of state and top military officer, died on Monday at the age of 84 due to complications from COVID-19. He was fully vaccinated, his family said in a statement on Facebook.
“We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American,” his family said, offering thanks to the staff of the hospital near Washington, D.C. who treated Powell but providing few details about his illness.
Powell was one of America’s most prominent Black figures for decades. He served three Republican presidents in senior posts and reached the top of the U.S. military as it was regaining its vigor after the trauma of the Vietnam War.
In a brief statement, the Powell family said he had died on Monday morning from COVID-19, had been fully vaccinated against the disease, and it thanked the medical staff at Walter Reed National Medical Center near Washington.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu)
