WATCH: Funeral for former secretary of state, military leader Colin Powell

WASHINGTON, DC — Colin L. Powell, the trailblazing and widely praised soldier-diplomat who rose from humble beginnings to national prominence, was remembered by family and friends as a principled man of humility and humor.

Powell died last month at age 84 from Covid-19 complications.

At his funeral at Washington National Cathedral, friends and family said his achievements serve as a model for minorities in public and private life.

A Vietnam combat veteran, he rose to become the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first Black secretary of state.

Among the funeral attendees were President Joe Biden and former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Powell had been vaccinated against the coronavirus, but his family said his immune system had been compromised by multiple myeloma, a blood cancer for which he had been undergoing treatment.