Powell was influential in shaping American foreign policy, serving the administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George Bush.
The Powell family wrote on Facebook he was fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and suffered from a cancer called multiple myeloma, which suppresses the body’s immune system.
Less than a year ago, Powell spoke at the Democratic National Convention in support of Presidential candidate Joe Biden. Using his platform as a longstanding influential Republican, he also publicly supported the presidential bid of Barack Obama in 2008.
“I can no longer call myself a Republican,” Powell said. “I’m just a citizen who has voted Republican, voted Democrat. Now, I’m just watching my country and not concerned with parties.”
The retired four-star Army general was also the youngest person and first African American to be named chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Powell is survived by his three children and wife of 59 years, Alma Vivian (Johnson) Powell.
After fighting in Vietnam, Powell became the first Black national security adviser for Reagan, as well as the youngest and first African American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President H.W. Bush.
Powell’s tenure as a part of the Bush administration following 9/11 was mired in controversy, as he gave several misleading and false statements in regard to Iraq’s attainment of weapons of mass destruction to justify an Iraq invasion.
“There can be no doubt, Saddam Hussein has biological weapons and the capability to rapidly produce many more,” Powell said.
Later Powell retracted those statements.
“The event will earn a prominent paragraph in my obituary,” Powell wrote in his book “It Worked for Me.” “I regret it now because the information was wrong — of course I do,” Powell said. “It was by no means my first, but it was one of my most momentous failures, the one with the widest-ranging impact…”
Powell said in his praised efforts in the Gulf War of the early 90s following the Saddam Hussein Iraqi invasion into Kuwait, “First, we’re going to cut it (Iraq Army) off. Then we’re going to kill it.” He gained national respect following the Gulf War, with a favorability rating rising to 71%. He also was honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Congressional Gold Medal.
After the Jan. 6 insurrection stirred by former President Donald Trump earlier this year at the U.S. Capitol, Powell denounced his Republican ties.
“I can no longer call myself a Republican,” Powell said. “I’m just a citizen who has voted Republican, voted Democrat. Now, I’m just watching my country and not concerned with parties.”
While speaking at the Democratic National Convention for the 2020 election, Powell shared why he supported Joe Biden’s bid for president.
“Today, we are a country divided, and we have a president [Trump] doing everything in his power to keep us that way,” Powell said. “What a difference it will make to have a president who unites us, who restores our strength and our soul. I still believe in our hearts, we are the same America that brought my parents to an America that inspires freedom. That’s the America Joe Biden will lead as our next president.”
Powell also voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, calling Trump a “national disgrace.”
“I’m deeply saddened to learn that America has lost a leader and statesman,” said Dick Cheney, former vice president. “General Powell had a remarkably distinguished career, and I was fortunate to work with him.”
“A towering figure in American military and political leadership, he inspired loyalty and respect,” former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said.