 Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell salutes the audience as he takes the stage at the Washington Ideas Forum in Washington, September 30, 2015. (Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst) |
Powell was fully vaccinated against Covid-19 but had several chronic underlying conditions that compromised his immune system. In 1987,
President Ronald Reagan tapped Powell to be his national security advisor, the first black person to serve in that role.
Powell's leadership in several Republican administrations helped shape American foreign policy at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st.