On October 18, 2021 the first black US Secretary of State died at the age of 84 due to COVID-19 complications on October 18, 2021. Powell had multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells, which suppressed his body’s immune system while having Parkison’s disease. He tested positive for COVID-19 the week before his passing, when he was due to receive the booster shot but was unable to as the treatment could have further weakened his immune system. Powell’s wife, Alma Vivian Powell, who is also vaccinated, tested positive earlier this month with mild symptoms but has now recovered. Shortly after his death, Powell’s family posted a tribute for him on Facebook, “Colin Powell, the first Black US Secretary of State whose leadership in several Republican administrations helped shape American foreign policy in the last years of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st, has died from complications from COVID-19.” Former and current political leaders have made tributes to him. “such a favorite of Presidents that he earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom — twice. He was highly respected at home and abroad. And most important, Colin was a family man and a friend,” former President George W. Bush said in a statement made the Monday after his death. President Joe Biden described Powell as a dear friend and a public servant that broke barriers. Powell’s career started out as a soldier in Vietnam. In 1979, after 21 years serving in the military, he was promoted to Brigadier General and then, in 1987, was appointed as Reagan’s final National Security Advisor. Colin Powell was Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005 under the Bush administration. Powell entered the US army after graduating in 1958 and served until 1993. He has received a number of notable awards which includes the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, a Congressional Gold Medal, President’s Citizen Medal and more. Along with the notable awards he has won, he became a national hero in 1991, winning theCongressional Medal of Honor and having a 71 percent favorability rate. Because of his high national profile, he was a potential presidential candidate in the 1996 election but declined to participate in the race. After leaving the Bush administration, Powell joined the capital firm, Kleiner Perkins, in 2005. Although his last political position was with the Bush administration, he has endorsed several politicians over the years. He has paved the way for other African Americans in the government and has pushed boundaries. His legacy will live on through his achievements.