‘Remarkable’ Powell dies after Covid difficulties

COLIN Powell, the first black American Secretary of State, has died due to complications from Covid-19 at the age of 84.

Confirming his death yesterday, his family said the army general had been fully vaccinated and receiving treatment for blood cancer at Walter Reed National Medical Center in Maryland.

He had also been suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

The statement added: “We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American.”

Born in April 1937 in Harlem, New York, to Jamaican immigrants, Powell was brought up in the tough South Bronx.

During his teenage years he became an army cadet, setting him on a path with the military.

As a distinguished soldier his career took him from combat duty in Vietnam racing up the ranks all the way to general.

He would go on to become the first black national security adviser and the youngest and first black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

His national popularity soared in the aftermath of the Gulf War, and for a time in the mid-90s, he was considered a leading contender to become the first black US President.

However, his reputation was damaged when he pushed faulty intelligence to advocate for the Iraq War, which he would later call a “blot” on his record.

Paying tribute to Powell, Tony Blair said: “Colin was a towering figure in American military and political leadership over many years.

“Someone of immense capability and integrity, a hugely likeable and warm personality and a great companion, with a lovely and selfdeprecating sense of humour.”

Powell is survived by his wife, Alma, whom he married in 1962, as well as three children.

‘TOWERING’ Gen Colin Powell