Alma Powell, wife of Colin Powell, dies at 86: What was the cause of death?

Alma Powell, born Alma Johnson, the wife of the late Colin Powell, passed away on Monday at the age of 86. She survived her husband, who served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under George HW Bush and Secretary of State under George W Bush. She and Secretary Powell met on a blind date and would go on to be married for close to sixty years. Together, they spent most of their lives in the Washington, D.C., area and raised three children.

The exact cause of death has not been made public, but the family announced that she passed after dealing with a brief illness.

A history of activism

Born in 1937, Alma defied many expectations for women, attending college at Fisk University and then going on to Emerson College to study speech pathology and audiology.

During the Obama Adminstration, Alma served as an advisor on government support for HBCUs. She was also the co-founder of America’s Promise, a public-private partnership aiming to improve the lives on young people in the United States. The organization established a list of promises to younger generations, which centered on ensuring they had the resources to go on to live fulfilling lives as adults.

Born in 1937, Alma defied many expectations for women, attending college at Fisk University and then going on to Emerson College to study speech pathology and audiology.