Davenport, IOWA – According to the statement, General Powell was fully vaccinated.
Powell was the first Black man to serve as secretary of state. He was born in 1937 in New York City. He joined the Army at a young age, eventually rising to the rank of general.
Though Powell was a Republican throughout his career, he broke with the party in recent years.
He said in 2016 that he voted for Hillary Clinton instead of Republican nominee Donald Trump, and he endorsed Joe Biden over Trump before the 2020 presidential election.
The Powell Family released the following 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. 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.”