Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain died Thursday after being hospitalized with the coronavirus, according to a statement on his website. He was 74.
Cain had been hospitalized July 1, two days after being told he had tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a statement posted to his social media accounts at the time.
“We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight,” the statement read. “He had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. We all prayed that the initial meds they gave him would get his breathing back to normal, but it became clear pretty quickly that he was in for a battle.”
The statement also said that five days ago, doctors were hopeful that Cain would recover.
“We were relieved to be told that, and passed on the news via Herman’s social media. And yet we also felt real concern about the fact that he never quite seemed to get to the point where the doctors could advance him to the recovery phase.”
Cain was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in 2006. He was declared cancer-free in 2007 after undergoing chemotherapy and surgery.
Cain was a former business executive and the board chairman of a branch of Kansas City’s Federal Reserve Bank.
In April 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump briefly considered picking Cain as his nominee to join the Federal Reserve Board, but his nomination was soon withdrawn.
Cain was a supporter of Trump’s and attended the president’s controversial election rally in Oklahoma in June, shortly before being diagnosed with the coronavirus.