Colin Powell remembered for leadership, integrity and a love of ABBA and Marley at funeral

Colin L. Powell was remembered for his leadership skills, his love of ABBA and Bob Marley and “his sense of humor, his insatiable curiosity and his comfort in his own skin” at a funeral Friday that drew presidents past and present, military leaders and hundreds of Washington dignitaries.

Powell, the former secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was honored by President Biden and other leaders at his funeral Friday at Washington National Cathedral.

Among those in attendance were Powell’s wife, Alma, and other family members; former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush; former secretaries of state Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright; former secretary of defense Robert Gates; and former deputy secretary of state Richard L. Armitage.

Powell died last month of complications from covid-19. He was 84.