President George W. Bush Remembers Colin Powell as 'Great Public Servant,' a 'Family Man and a Friend'

Former President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush are expressing their condolences to the family of Colin Powell, who died at 84 of complications from COVID-19 on Monday.

"Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of Colin Powell," Bush, 75, said in a statement on Monday. "He was a great public servant, starting with his time as a soldier during Vietnam. Many Presidents relied on General Powell's counsel and experience. He was National Security Adviser under President Reagan, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Under my father and President Clinton, and Secretary of State during my Administration."

For more on Colin Powell and other top stories, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

Powell became the U.S.' first Black Secretary of State after a unanimous confirmation in the Senate in 2001. He served in Bush's cabinet from 2001 to 2005, before he resigned and was replaced by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Before serving in Bush's White House, Powell was the 12th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, making him the first African American to serve as the nation's highest-ranking military official.

Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Sygma via Getty Images Colin Powell (left), George W. Bush

He is survived by his wife, Alma Johnson Powell, and their three children, as well as grandchildren.

"He was such a favorite of Presidents that he earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom — twice," Bush continued in his statement. "He was highly respected at home and abroad. And most important, Colin was a family man and a friend. Laura and I send Alma and their children our sincere condolences as they remember the life of a great man."

Brooks Kraft/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Rep. Liz Cheney shared a statement from her father, Bush's Vice President Dick Cheney, on Twitter Monday.