Colin Powell, former US secretary of state, dies of COVID-19

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell died Monday from complications of COVID-19, his household said successful a statement. He was 84.

"General Colin L. Powell, erstwhile U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed distant this greeting owed to complications from Covid 19. He was afloat vaccinated," the household said successful a statement. "We privation to convey the aesculapian unit astatine Walter Reed National Medical Center for their caring treatment. We person mislaid a singular and loving husband, father, gramps and a large American."

Powell was calved successful 1937 successful New York City. He joined the Army astatine a young age, yet rising to the fertile of general.

After serving successful the Vietnam War arsenic a young man, Powell held respective apical subject and defence positions successful the national government. He roseate done the ranks successful the nationalist information adviser's bureau and served successful the relation nether President Ronald Reagan from 1987 to 1989. He aboriginal served arsenic the president for the Joint Chiefs of Staff nether Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

As chairman, Powell oversaw the warfare successful the Persian Gulf and Operation Desert Storm.

But Powell is champion known for serving arsenic caput of authorities nether President George W. Bush during Bush's archetypal term. Powell served arsenic America's apical diplomat during the Sept. 11 panic attacks and amid the commencement of the wars successful some Afghanistan and Iraq.

In the leadup to the warfare successful Iraq, Powell appeared successful beforehand of the United Nations to laic retired the Bush administration's lawsuit for initiating the conflict. While helium told the UN that helium was acrophobic astir Iraq's weapons program, his grounds included faulty intelligence. He aboriginal admitted that his grounds to the UN was a "blot" connected his record.

Powell was the archetypal Black antheral to service arsenic caput of state. In Bush's 2nd term, helium would relinquish his station to Condoleezza Rice, a Black woman.

Though Powell was a Republican passim his career, helium broke with the enactment successful caller years. He told media outlets successful 2016 that helium voted for Hillary Clinton alternatively of Republican nominee Donald Trump, and helium endorsed Joe Biden implicit Trump earlier the 2020 statesmanlike election.