A top United States general and diplomat, Colin Powell, died at the age of 84 after suffering COVID-19 complications.

Colin Powell Dies at 84

The trailblazing soldier and diplomat's sterling reputation of service to Republican and Democratic presidents was stained after he justified the 2003 U.S. war in Iraq by some of his claims.

According to The Associated Press, during the announcement of Powell's death, his family stated that the top general had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. A longtime aide of Powell, Peggy Cifrino, revealed that aside from his recent vaccination, the general had also been treated over the past few years for multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that impairs the body's ability to fight infection.

Based on the recent studies, cancer patients do not get as much protection from the COVID-19 vaccines compared to healthier individuals.

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U.S. Officials Remember Colin Powell

At the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden shared that Powell "embodied the highest ideals of both warrior and diplomat."

Also, Biden noted Powell's rise from a childhood in a fraying New York City neighborhood. Biden added that Powell believed in the promise of America because he lived it. The U.S. President said that the top general devoted much of his life to making that promise a reality for so many others.

Moreover, flags at government buildings were at half-mast. The flags were ordered lowered at the White House, Pentagon and State Department.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the current highest ranking Black woman in U.S. history, also noted Powell's racial firsts. Harris stated that every step of his way, Powell filled those roles by inspiring so many people. The Vice President added that young service members and others not only within the military but around the world took notice of what Powell's accomplishments meant as a reflection of the U.S. as a nation.

The successor of Powell at the State and the department's first Black female secretary, Condoleezza Rice, was praised not only as a top general and diplomat but also as a trusted colleague through challenging times.

Furthermore, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a retired Army general, and the first Black Pentagon chief, said that hearing the news of Powell's death left a hole in his heart. Austin emphasized that the world lost one of the greatest leaders that we have ever witnessed. The Defense Secretary is currently traveling in Europe.

A veteran of the Vietnam War, Powell spent 35 years in the Army where he, later on, rose to the rank of four-star general. The rise placed him as the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

His oversight of the U.S. invasion of Kuwait to oust the Iraqi army in 1991 made him a household name, prompting speculation for nearly a decade that he might run for president in the U.S.

However, instead of running for the presidency, he became the secretary of state for George W. Bush's administration in 2001. Powell was the first American official to publicly blame Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda behind the 9/11 attacks, but his claims to justify the war against Iraq in 2003 stained his reputation.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: General Colin Powell Dies Of Covid Complications At Age 84 -NBC News