The funeral of Colin Powell

Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, will be honored at a funeral service today at noon ET at the Washington National Cathedral.

Powell died last month from complications from Covid-19, his family said on Facebook. He was 84.

"General Colin L. Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away this morning due to complications from Covid 19," the Powell family wrote on Facebook, noting he was fully vaccinated.

Powell also had multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells that suppresses the body's immune response, as well as Parkinson's, Peggy Cifrino, Powell's longtime chief of staff, confirmed to CNN. Even if fully vaccinated against Covid-19, those who are immunocompromised are at greater risk from the virus.

Powell was a distinguished and trailblazing professional soldier whose career took him from combat duty in Vietnam to becoming the first Black national security adviser during the end of Ronald Reagan's presidency and the youngest and first African American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H.W. Bush.

His national popularity soared in the aftermath of the US-led coalition victory during the Gulf War, and for a time in the mid-90s, he was considered a leading contender to become the first Black President of the United States. But his reputation would be forever stained when, as George W. Bush's first secretary of state, he pushed faulty intelligence before the United Nations to advocate for the Iraq War, which he would later call a "blot" on his record.

Ahead of today's coverage on Powell's funeral, read more about his life and career below:

CNN's Devan Cole contributed reporting to this post.

President Biden is expected to be among those attending Colin Powell's funeral today at the Washington National Cathedral.

On Oct. 18, when Powell's death was announced, Biden called him a dear friend and a patriot, as well as a strong proponent of education, during an event at the White House Monday honoring the 2020 and 2021 National Teacher of the Year.

“This is a guy who we talk about who had teachers who looked at this African American kid and said you can do anything,” Biden added. 

The President previously released a statement on Powell’s death and ordered the flags flying over the White House and all federal buildings to half-staff until sunset on Friday to honor the life and legacy of Powell. 

Colin Luther Powell was born April 5, 1937, in Harlem, New York, to Jamaican immigrants. After growing up in the South Bronx, Powell attended school at the City College of New York, where he participated in ROTC, leading the precision drill team and attaining the top rank offered by the corps, cadet colonel.

He entered the US Army after graduating in 1958, and later served two tours in South Vietnam during the 1960s, where he was wounded twice, including during a helicopter crash in which he rescued two soldiers. He stayed in the Army after returning home, attending the National War College and rising in leadership. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1979, appointed as Reagan's final national security adviser in 1987 and was tapped by the elder Bush in 1989 to head the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Powell's tenure in the elder Bush's administration was marked by his involvement in some of the most notable American military actions of the late 20th century, including the 1989 Panama operation, the 1991 Gulf War and the US humanitarian intervention in Somalia, though he retired from the Army days before the disastrous Battle of Mogadishu.

Although Powell was initially reluctant to commit US troops when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, he became one of the administration's most trusted spokesmen when the assault on Saddam Hussein's army finally came.

"First we're going to cut it off. Then we're going to kill it," Powell famously said at a news conference at the time, referring to the Iraqi army.

Following the assault, Powell became something of a national hero, enjoying a 71% favorability rating in the first few years after the war. His efforts during the war also earned him two prominent awards: a Congressional Gold Medal in March 1991 "in recognition of his exemplary performance in planning and coordinating" the US response to Iraq's invasion, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

As the elder Bush presented Powell with the award at a White House ceremony in 1991, he said the general's "deep compassion for every one of the thousands of men and women under (his) command will always be remembered."

During Powell's time in the military, which lasted until 1993, he also received a number of other notable awards, including the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. He received his fourth star in 1989, becoming the second African American to rise to that rank.

In addition to the military awards, Powell also received the President's Citizens Medal, the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal, and the Secretary of Energy Distinguished Service Medal, as well as a second Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded with distinction, from President Bill Clinton.

Colin Powell's death last month was met with an outpouring of grief from former and current leaders, including President Biden who described Powell a "dear friend" and a dedicated public servant who broke barriers.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney, who served alongside Powell under Bush, said in a statement that he was "deeply saddened to learn that America has lost a leader and statesman. General Powell had a remarkably distinguished career, and I was fortunate to work with him." Cheney added that Powell was a "trailblazer and role model."

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Powell's predecessor at the department, remembered him on Monday as "a wise and principled man, a loyal friend, and one of the kindest people I have ever met."

"Although we grew up in different contexts, we bonded over our family's immigrant stories, our deep love of America, and our belief in the importance of public service," she said in a statement.

Condoleezza Rice, who succeeded Powell at State following his retirement in 2005, said on Monday that he "was a trusted colleague and a dear friend through some very challenging times," adding in her own statement that "much of his legacy will live on in the countless number of young lives he touched."

And Antony Blinken, the current officeholder, said Monday that Powell "gave the State Department the very best of his leadership, his experience, his patriotism."

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in remarks on Monday that in Powell he "lost a tremendous personal friend and mentor."

"He always made time for me and I could always go to him with tough issues. He always had great counsel. We will certainly miss him," said Austin, who himself made history earlier this year as the first Black defense secretary.