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Sad news to report. Former presidential candidate Herman Cain, chairman of the group “Black Voices for Trump”, passed away today at the age of 74 from coronavirus complications.

A heartbroken Dan Calabrese, the longtime editor of Cain’s website, wrote about his boss’s passing this morning and why those closest to him weren’t eager to pass along daily updates about his battle with the virus:

Let me deal with some of the particulars of the last few weeks. 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.

We didn’t release detailed updates on his condition to the public or to the media because neither his family nor we thought there was any reason for that. There were hopeful indicators, including a mere five days ago when doctors told us they thought he would eventually recover, although it wouldn’t be quick. 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.

Herman was 74. Although he was basically pretty healthy in recent years, he was still in a high-risk group because of his history with cancer. 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.

According to Newsmax, Mr. Cain “recently joined Newsmax TV and was set to launch a weekly show” before he was diagnosed with the coronavirus and admitted to the hospital on July 1st.

There is a lot that will be said, that has already been said about Cain from the media and Democrats that, sadly falls along predictable and classless partisan lines. But his 2012 campaign communications director Ellen Carmichael posted a very moving tribute that will tell you far more about the kind of man Mr. Cain really was than any mainstream media report:

I’m very saddened to learn of the passing of my former boss, Herman Cain. I’m bracing for the cruelty online about how he deserved to get COVID and die because of his politics. We’re living in a dark time. But, they didn’t know him. I did.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) July 30, 2020

At the age of 23, I served as the communications director for Herman Cain’s presidential campaign. It was a chaotic experience, which explains how someone fresh out of college could find herself explaining away gaffe after gaffe from an unpolished candidate.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) July 30, 2020

Admittedly, it's not a job I could do now at 32. It was really hard and exhausting. But Herman Cain made it worth while. He was a giant of a person in ways that people who would choose to see him merely as a caricature could never understand.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) July 30, 2020

His American Dream story is one for the history books. Overcame absolute destitution, genuine discrimination, stage IV cancer and so much hardship in between. Rose up the ranks of America's biggest corporations, advised presidential campaigns, chaired a Federal Reserve bank…

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) July 30, 2020

This is a man who grew up in a house that had three rooms in it. His mother was a domestic worker (he would never say "maid"), and his dad worked three jobs to survive. He and his brother would argue over who would get to sleep on the cot and who had to sleep on the floor.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) July 30, 2020

After successfully completing college as a "Morehouse Man," a distinction he proudly carried with him his whole life, he became a rocket scientist for the Dept. of the Navy. Quite literally a rocket scientist. I guess that degree in math and physics helped.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) July 30, 2020

Rose up the ranks of Coca-Cola, Pillsbury and Pepsi. Turned Godfather's Pizza around from bankruptcy to solvency in 14 months. FOURTEEN MONTHS. This man knew business and he knew people. His signature approach was to go to the people closest to the problem to solve it. It worked.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) July 30, 2020

He singularly took down HillaryCare when he had the tenacity to school President Clinton on basic economics in a townhall. Clinton, smug as ever, smirked as he thought Cain would side with him. He was wrong. Herman humiliated him. https://t.co/gF2NLaL5pU

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) July 30, 2020

He won the attention and admiration of Jack Kemp, who flew to Omaha to sit in an airport and talk to Cain for hours. They became lifelong friends, and Kemp had him serve as an economic adviser for Dole/Kemp in 1996. Herman was devastated when Kemp died of cancer.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) July 30, 2020

Kemp's death inspired Herman to fight his own battle against stage IV liver and colon cancer. Miraculously, he beat cancer. I remember him telling me how much he loved and missed Jack Kemp, and how he had wanted to beat cancer because Kemp couldn't.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) July 30, 2020

I won't go much into his presidential campaign because a lot has been said about it already. I will just share one story in particular. Herman had gotten into a lot of trouble for (wrong) remarks he made about wanting to stop the construction of a mosque in Tennessee.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) July 30, 2020

He understandably got a lot of blowback on this. But, members of a northern Virginia mosque opened their doors to him. They educated him. They broke bread with him. They had him speak to summer campers. He called me from the airport, voice cracking from holding back tears…

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) July 30, 2020

…he told me how wrong he had been, how wonderful of a time he had and how they invited him to speak at a future Friday service. His life was clearly changed by the experience. I hung up the phone and cried myself.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) July 30, 2020

Just as I am crying now. Working for Herman had a lot of challenges – working for any campaign does. But, he was a really good person. He really, really was. And despite the challenges he faced in his life, he deeply loved his country with his whole heart. Please believe that.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) July 30, 2020

Finally, I wish I could tell him this:

Thank you. You changed my life forever when you took a chance on me – a 23-year-old recent college graduate who foolishly thought she could be a presidential campaign spokeswoman.

Rest in peace Herman. May you have your eternal reward.

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) July 30, 2020

HUD Secretary Ben Carson, a 2016 GOP presidential candidate, posted his condolences on Twitter this morning as well:

My friend, @THEHermanCain, was a prolific businessman, a stalwart of conservative policies, and most importantly he was a loving husband and father. My prayers are with Gloria and his family as he rests in a better place. His humor and vigor for America will be missed. pic.twitter.com/CMRZaSiR68

— Ben Carson (@SecretaryCarson) July 30, 2020

Herman Cain is survived by his wife Gloria, daughter Melanie and son Vincent, and his grandchildren. He will be greatly missed.