Colin Powell, who was secretary of state between 2001 and 2005 in the first George W. Bush administration, died this Monday at age 84 from complications related to COVID-19.
"General Colin L. Powell, former secretary of state and head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, died this morning due to complications derived from COVID-19. He
was fully vaccinated,
" explained his relatives in a statement posted on social networks.
"We want to thank the medical staff at Walter Reed National Medical Center [located in Bethesda, near Washington DC] for their kind treatment. We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and
a great American,
" they added.
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Powell was the first black politician to reach two of the most prestigious positions within the government: he was head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff between 1989 and 1993 under the administration of George Bush Sr. and Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005 with George Bush Jr..
During his time at the forefront of diplomacy, the United States launched the war in Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 attacks, and launched the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
With information from
NBC News
and
The Associated Press