Herman Cain -- a television and radio host and former business executive who ran for President of the United States in 2012 -- died on Monday morning, about a month after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
He was 74 years old.
"We’re heartbroken, and the world is poorer: Herman Cain has gone to be with the Lord," friend Dan Calabrese shared today on Cain's official website.
"We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight.
"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."
Cain was photographed in June at Donald Trump's political rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
"Here’s just a few of the #BlackVoicesForTrump at tonight’s rally! Having a fantastic time!" wrote Cain as a caption to the following image.
As you can see, Cain was not wearing a mask for the event.
We cannot confirm, however, whether or not he contracted the coronavirus as a result of attending in this manner.
Continued Calabrese in his tribute:
"We all prayed so hard every day.
"We knew the time would come when the Lord would call him home, but we really liked having him here with us, and we held out hope he’d have a full recovery."
Cain had spent most of July getting treated for COVID-19 in an Atlanta-area hospital, following his team having early this month that he tested positive on June 29.
"I realize people will speculate about the Tulsa rally, but Herman did a lot of traveling the past week," Calabrese wrote on his website earlier in July.
"I don’t think there’s any way to trace this to the one specific contact that caused him to be infected. We’ll never know."
Cain ran for the Republican Party’s nomination in hopes of facing incumbent President Barack Obama.
However, after hovering near the top of various polls early on his campaign, Cain’s presidential hopes fell apart when numerous women alleged he had sexual harassed them in the past.
Cain is survived by his wife, Gloria, kids Vincent and Melanie and their three grandchildren.
"They need our love, our support and our prayers," Calabrese wrote Thursday.
"Nothing I talked about above meant as much to him as these wonderful people did, and because he loved them so much, we will continue to feel his impact on the world through them."
As of this writing, President Trump has not yet commented on Cain's passing.
In 2019, though, after Cain was rejected by fellow Republicans as an appointee to the Federal Reserve Board, Trump Tweeted:
“My friend Herman Cain, a truly wonderful man, has asked me not to nominate him for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board.
"I will respect his wishes. Herman is a great American who truly loves our Country!”
