Gen. Colin Powell's family announced Monday that the barrier-breaking general and statesman has died of COVID-19 complications.

Powell was raised in the South Bronx on Kelly Street. He would later return to this very neighborhood after a successful career when a building just down the block was named after him.

He was born in Harlem but grew up in Longwood before he served in the Army or as secretary of state. Powell attended Morris High School in the Bronx, which has since closed. He then went on to attend City College of New York and would eventually have a school there named after him: the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership.

Back in 2010, he returned to the Bronx to commemorate a new energy efficient housing complex named in his honor, just a few blocks from where he grew up in Longwood.

Powell made an impact on the Bronx and all of New York City encouraging students from all boroughs at times to reach their fullest potential.