By Will Dunham and Arshad Mohammed
Colin Powell, the first Black U.S. secretary of state, top military officer and national security adviser, died on Monday at the age of 84 due to complications from COVID-19. He was fully vaccinated, his family said in a statement on Facebook.
Powell had multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, that was in remission and early stage Parkinson’s disease, said a close friend who asked not to be named. The blood cancer reduces the body’s ability to fight infection and puts people at higher risk for severe COVID-19.
