Herman Cain, a successful businessman who ran for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination and later became a sponsor of President Donald Trump, died of complications from COVID-19, according to a statement released Thursday on his personal website.
He was 74 years old.
“Herman Cain, our boss, our friend, as a father to many of us, passed away,” said the statement posted on his website.
“We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that it was going to be a tough fight. He had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. We all prayed that the initial medications they gave him would bring him back to normal. but it quickly became apparent that he was in a battle, “the statement said.
The statement noted that Cain, who survived a battle with stage 4 colon cancer, had been “fairly healthy in recent years,” but was considered to be in a “high risk group” for COVID-19 complications. due to his cancer history.
Cain had tested positive for COVID-19 last month, just over a week after attending a Trump campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 20.
While there is no way to determine exactly where he contracted the virus, Cain posted a photo of himself with others at the event, which showed him without a mask.
More than 150,000 people in the US have died from COVID-19.
Cain tested positive on June 29. A statement posted to his official Twitter account days later said Cain had developed symptoms “severe enough to require hospitalization” at an Atlanta-area hospital.
Cain, who is an official replacement for Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, wrote an op-ed after the rally in which he defended the event, writing: “The media worked very hard to scare people away from attending the Trump campaign last Saturday. ” night in Tulsa. “
Cain made a name for himself in the restaurant industry, where he ran the Nebraska-based Godfather’s Pizza franchise from 1986 to 1996, and claimed that his leadership saved the company from bankruptcy. He touted that experience as a conservative presidential candidate who was briefly the GOP favorite in a busy 2012 primary field.
But Cain ended his campaign after allegations surfaced that he had sexually harassed several women when he led the National Restaurant Association from 1996 to 1999, and that he had an extramarital affair. Cain has denied the allegations, and Trump called them an “unfair witch hunt.”
Cain joined the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank in 1989, then became its vice president and then president, and was briefly considered by Trump to be nominated for a position in the Federal Reserve.
Condolences came Thursday morning after news of Cain’s death was made public.
“Herman Cain embodied the American dream and represented the best of the American spirit,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweeted. “Our hearts cry for their loved ones, and they will remain in our prayers at this time. We will never forget their legacy of grace, patriotism, and faith.”
House of Representatives minority leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Tweeted that Cain “will always be remembered for his love of the country.”
