Powell died Monday morning at the age of 84, due to complications from COVID-19.
Politicians, celebrities and friends are mourning the loss of former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Powell died early Monday morning due to complications from COVID-19. Powell, the first Black secretary of state and the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was fully vaccinated, his family said in a post on his Facebook page. Powell had battled various other ailments, including Parkinson's disease. He was 84.
"We want to thank the medical staff at Walter Reed National Medical Center for their caring treatment," the Powell family wrote. "We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American."
President Joe Biden expressed his condolences to Powell's family and applauded the longtime Army veteran for putting "country before self, before party."
"Jill and I are deeply saddened by the passing of our dear friend and a patriot of unmatched honor and dignity, General Colin Powell. Time and again, he put country before self, before party, before all else—in uniform and out. He will be remembered as one of our great Americans," Biden tweeted.
Former president George W. Bush, who Powell served as secretary of state under, expressed his sadness at the sudden loss of Powell, along with a statement on Powell's longtime service to the nation.
Former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton also shared their memories of Powell, with both praising the soldier and patriot for the work he did both in the military and as a civilian.
"General Colin Powell understood what was best in this country, and tried to bring his own life, career, and public statements in line with that ideal. Michelle and I will always look to him as an example of what America—and Americans—can and should be," Obama wrote in addition to a lengthy statement dedicated to Powell and his family.
"Colin Powell was a courageous soldier, a skilled commander, a dedicated diplomat, and a good and decent man. My condolences to Alma, the entire Powell family, and all the people whose lives he touched through his service and example," Clinton shared alongside a video of him and Powell at the former secretary of state's retirement ceremony in 1993.
"Bill and I will always be grateful for the chances we had to work with and serve with General Colin Powell. Our thoughts are with Alma and the entire Powell family," Hillary Clinton, who too went on to serve as secretary of state, wrote in her own post.
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