Colin Powell Obituary: Vietnam veteran rose through the ranks but faced criticism over Iraq war

The then lieutenant general Colin Powell, commander of the 5th U.S. corps, salutes while his wife Alma stands in attention during a farewell ceremony in Frankfurt (Udo Weltz/AP)

Colin Powell, who served Democratic and Republican presidents in war and peace but whose sterling reputation was forever stained when he went before the UN and made faulty claims to justify the US war in Iraq, has died of Covid-19 complications aged 84.

A veteran of the Vietnam War, Mr Powell rose to the rank of four-star general and in 1989 became the first black chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.