Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state, has died from complications from Covid-19, his family said on Facebook. He was 84.
“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,” the Powell family wrote on Facebook, noting he was fully vaccinated.
Powell had multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells that suppresses the body’s immune response, as well as Parkinson’s, Peggy Cifrino, Powell’s longtime chief of staff, confirmed to CNN. Even if fully vaccinated against Covid-19, those who are immunocompromised are at greater risk from the virus.
We’re wrapping up our live coverage, but if you’re looking for more on Powell’s life and career, you can…
Colin Powell opened up to journalist Bob Woodward about his health struggles in what may have been his last interview before his death.
Powell, the first Black US secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, died Monday from complications from Covid-19 at the age of 84. Multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells, suppresses the body’s immune response. He also had Parkinson’s.
Powell continued, “I’ve taken lots of exams and I get there on my own. I drive up in my Corvette, get out of the Corvette and go into the hospital. I also go to a clinic to get the blood tests taken. I don’t advertise it, I don’t make an announcement about it, but most of my friends know it.”
CNN obtained audio of Woodward’s July 12 phone interview with Powell for Woodward’s latest book on former President Donald Trump, “Peril.”
In the July interview, Woodward discussed Powell’s views on war and his moniker as “a reluctant warrior.”
“Whenever that is asked of me, I say, true. I am a reluctant warrior. I don’t like wars. I don’t want to be a warrior,” Powell said. “But remember the other thing that is well-known about me. And that is we go to a war, and I will do everything I can to beat the crap out of somebody, and win.”
“That’s known as the Powell doctrine by the way,” he added.
President Biden made his first on-camera comments about the death of Colin Powell, calling him a dear friend and a patriot, as well as a strong proponent of education, during an event at the White House Monday honoring the 2020 and 2021 National Teacher of the Year.
“This is a guy who we talk about who had teachers who looked at this African American kid and said you can do anything,” Biden added.
The President previously released a statement on Powell’s death and ordered the flags flying over the White House and all federal buildings to half-staff until sunset on Friday to honor the life and legacy of Powell.
In one of his last public appearances on Sept. 30, former Secretary of State Colin Powell grew emotional when talking about why he decided to help start the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at the City College of New York, his alma mater.
In a virtual event by the school, Powell described why he felt motivated to be more involved in the school after meeting with City College of New York students. The video was posted Sept. 30.
The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership is a nonpartisan research center that is a part of the City College of New York. The school is a “home to the social science departments” at the college as well as “core leadership development and public service programs,” according to their website.
Powell attended City College of New York as an undergraduate and graduated in 1958. The school was established in 2013, according to their website.
Originally, a donor had created a Colin Powell Institute to be a part of the college, and Powell was invited to talk to some of the students at the college in connection with the institute. But after meeting the students, he felt compelled to do more, he said, which gave him the motivation to start the school.
“I went up to see what this was, and the Colin Powell institute, and it’s a think tank, okay I’m not crazy about think tanks but this guy is paying for it, and kids are getting it,” he said.
Powell asked the students to tell him about themselves.
“Every one … I was just as emotional then as I am now. And I tried, I was a better guy at handling it then than I am now, but I said my God, this is me, that’s when I decided I had to do more than just show up every now and again,” he said.
This is when Powell worked with the then-President of the college to continue with the Institute and eventually, a year or two later, to start the Colin Powell school, he said.
“It wasn’t an American dream, it was an American journey, they were all on an American journey, and I think of that crowd of however many they were, I expect all of them graduated,” he added.
Watch the conversation:
Colin Powell’s death from Covid-19 complications demonstrates the importance of vaccinating everyone against the virus to protect cancer patients and other vulnerable people whose bodies may not mount an adequate immune response, even when they are fully vaccinated, doctors said Monday.
Powell, a former US secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, died Monday, his family said.
Powell also had multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells that suppresses the body’s immune response, as well as Parkinson’s, Peggy Cifrino, Powell’s longtime chief of staff, confirmed to CNN.
“As unfortunate as his death is this morning, it shows the importance of vaccinations and the morbidity and mortality of being in one or more of those groups. It reinforces what we have been encouraging, continued vaccinations in those age groups and now boosters in those populations as well. For all of the Colin Powells amongst us, in our families, in our communities, we cannot afford to become lax,” Gates added.
“Like over 130,000 Americans today, Secretary Powell suffered from multiple myeloma, which is the second most common blood cancer after non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” added Dr. Paul Richardson, director of clinical research at the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at Harvard’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
“Multiple myeloma disproportionately impacts Black patients, who are at twice the risk of developing the disease as compared to white Americans, and it’s expected that by 2034, nearly one in four multiple myeloma patients will be African American,” Richardson added.
He continued: “Covid-19 has been a considerable challenge in the multiple myeloma community. Patients are not only vulnerable to infection but once infected, they are more prone to serious complications including vascular effects and profound immune dysfunction. As the world continues to grapple with the pandemic and we prepare to meet the challenges of new variants, we urge individuals to get vaccinated to not only protect themselves and their loved ones, but to protect the health of others as well.”
CNN’s Devan Cole contributed reporting to this post.
America’s Promise Alliance, a nationwide partnership network devoted to improving the lives of America’s young people for which Colin Powell and his wife Alma were the founding co-chairs, mourned the loss of the former secretary of state on Monday, remembering him as “a fierce, longstanding advocate for the nation’s young people.”
He continued: “(Powell’s) advocacy brought together unlikely partners, he inspired corporate America to make tangible commitments to the nation’s youth, and he shone a light on the important role that adults of all backgrounds can play in helping young people find their path to success. His own life was the very embodiment of America’s Promise.”
Vice President Kamala Harris mourned the loss of Colin Powell Monday, describing him as a “barrier breaker” who inspired many in the military and beyond.
“As National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State, he was an independent thinker and a barrier breaker who inspired leaders in our military and throughout our nation,” Harris said in a statement.
Harris described her last moments with Powell, saying, “I last saw and spoke with Secretary Powell in July, at a dinner honoring German Chancellor Angela Merkel. I was reminded then how he always showed the world the best of who we are. He upheld the highest standards, representing our nation with dignity, grace, and strength.”
She added, “The legacy that he leaves behind – on America’s national security and on the leaders he mentored – can be seen every day across our nation and the world. “
Read her full statement below:
President Biden issued a proclamation ordering the flags at the White House and other federal buildings to half-staff until sunset on Friday in honor of the life and service of Colin Powell.
The American flag in front of the State Department has been lowered to half-staff to honor the life of Colin Powell, former secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to a senior State Department official.
The flag with the State Department seal also in front of the department has been lowered.
Former President Obama praised the leadership and character of Colin Powell, highlighting the ways the first Black secretary of state helped inspire current and future generations.
“It was the way Colin Powell saw the world – not as a starry-eyed idealist, but as someone with deep and abiding faith in this country and what it stands for – that made him such a central figure,” he continued.
The former President outlined some specific traits that he believed made Powell a great leader.
Obama also used the opportunity to thank Powell for endorsing his 2008 candidacy. That move was seen as a significant boost for Obama’s candidacy due to Powell’s widespread popular appeal and stature as one of the most prominent and successful Black Americans in public life.
“On a personal level, I was deeply appreciative that someone like General Powell, who had been associated with Republican administrations in the past, was willing to endorse me in 2008. But what impressed me even more was how he did it,” he said.
“At a time when conspiracy theories were swirling, with some questioning my faith, General Powell took the opportunity to get to the heart of the matter in a way only he could,” he continued.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent their condolences to the family of Colin Powell, whom they described in a statement as a “good and decent man.”
“He lived the promise of America, and spent a lifetime working to help our country, especially our young people, live up to its own ideals and noblest aspirations at home and around the world,” they said in the statement.
Read the Clintons’ full statement:
Peggy Cifrino, Colin Powell’s longtime chief of staff, confirms to CNN that “in addition to multiple myeloma, Colin Powell also had Parkinson’s which put him at high risk with an immuno compromised system.”
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells that suppresses the body’s immune response.
Cifrino also confirmed that Powell was vaccinated early on with the Pfizer vaccine and had his second shot in February.
She said he was scheduled to get his booster shot this past week, but that was when he fell ill so he wasn’t able to receive it.
Remember: For fully vaccinated Americans, the risk of being hospitalized or dying from Covid-19 is low – much lower than the risk for unvaccinated people. But in those rare cases when a fully vaccinated person gets infected, data suggests it is older adults and those with multiple underlying medical conditions who are most at risk of serious illness.
Retired Army Col. Bill Smullen, who served as former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s chief of staff, remembered the life and legacy of his friend, calling Powell “a public servant through and through.”
Watch a part of the interview:
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres sent his “heartfelt condolences” to Colin Powell’s family and “all the people of the United States,” in a statement released by the UN on Monday.
Guterres said he was saddened to learn of Powell’s death and praised his “distinguished career.”
His statement was read by his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric at the UN daily briefing.
Read the full statement below:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi honored the life and leadership of Colin Powell, calling him “a patriot” who also blazed a “trail for generations to come.”
Pelosi also used a part of her statement to address the Covid-19 complications that Powell’s family said caused his death.
“The sad loss of Colin Powell is another sad indication of the devastating toll that the coronavirus continues to take on our country. As we pray for the General Powell’s loved ones, we pray for the families of the nearly 725,000 Americans who have been taken from us by this vicious virus,” she said.
Powell died from complications from Covid-19, his family said on Facebook. A source familiar with the matter said Powell had multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells that suppresses the body’s immune response. Even if fully vaccinated against Covid-19, those who are immunocompromised are at greater risk from the virus.
President Biden mourned the loss of Gen. Colin Powell, whom he described as a “good man” and a “dear friend.”
“Jill and I are deeply saddened by the passing of our dear friend and a patriot of unmatched honor and dignity, General Colin Powell,” Biden said in a statement Monday.
Biden said that in working with Powell, a former national security adviser, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and secretary of State, was “was always someone who gave you his best and treated you with respect.”
Powell, the President added, “led with his personal commitment to the democratic values that make our country strong,” going on to tout the barriers he broke as a Black man.
Biden also nodded to their personal friendship over many years, concluding: “He will be remembered as one of our great Americans.”
Read President Biden’s full statement below:
Secretary of State Antony Blinken remembered the life of former Secretary of State Colin Powell during remarks from the State Department.
“He gave the State Department the very best of his leadership. His experience, his patriotism. He gave us his decency, and the State Department loved him for it,” he continued.
Blinken noted how Powell treated his workforce with respect and did not really care for hierarchy.
Blinken continued, “He treated people the way he expected them to treat each other, and he made sure that they knew he would always have their back. The result was that his people would walk through walls for him.”
Powell made history during the Bush administration, becoming the first Black secretary of state. When he was sworn in as Bush’s secretary of state in 2001, he became the highest-ranking Black public official to date in the country, standing fourth in the presidential line of succession.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke on the death of Gen. Colin Powell Monday morning, calling him “an example of the greatness of New York City.”
Powell was born to Jamaican immigrants and was raised in Harlem and the Bronx before attending college at The City College of New York in Harlem, de Blasio said.
Colin Powell was former President George W. Bush’s first Cabinet selection when he was announced as the 43rd President’s nomination for secretary of state, and with his expertise in foreign policy and widespread popularity, he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate.
He shared Bush’s reluctance to project military strength across the globe, a view that was quickly displaced by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. As Bush’s top diplomat, he was tasked with building international support for the War on Terror, including the Afghanistan War, but it was his involvement in the administration’s push for intervention in Iraq, over the concerns of many of America’s longtime allies, for which his tenure at State would become best known.
In February 2003, Powell delivered a speech before the United Nations in which he presented evidence that the US intelligence community said proved Iraq had misled inspectors and hid weapons of mass destruction.
Inspectors, however, later found no such weaponry in Iraq, and two years after Powell’s UN speech, a government report said the intelligence community was “dead wrong” in its assessments of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction capabilities before the US invasion.
But the damage was already done — to both Iraq, which the US went to war with just six weeks after Powell’s speech, and to the reputation of the once highly popular statesman, who was reportedly told by Cheney before the UN speech: “You’ve got high poll ratings; you can afford to lose a few points.”
Powell, who left the State Department in early 2005 after submitting his resignation to Bush the previous year, later called his UN speech a “blot” that will forever be on his record.
“I regret it now because the information was wrong — of course I do,” he told CNN’s Larry King in 2010. “But I will always be seen as the one who made the case before the international community.”
“I swayed public opinion, there’s no question about it,” he added, referring to how influential his speech was on public support for the invasion.
In his 2012 memoir, “It Worked for Me,” Powell again acknowledged the speech, writing that his account of it in the book would likely be the last he publicly made.
“I am mad mostly at myself for not having smelled the problem. My instincts failed me,” he wrote, referring to the report he used that contained faulty evidence of supposed Iraqi WMDs. “It was by no means my first, but it was one of my most momentous failures, the one with the widest-ranging impact.”
“The event will earn a prominent paragraph in my obituary,” Powell wrote.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell honored former US Secretary of State Colin Powell in a statement today following his passing, saying, “America has lost a trailblazing leader.”
“Today we remember and honor a man who truly dedicated his entire life to serving his country,” he said in the statement.
Read McConnell’s full statement:
