Herman Cain dies of coronavirus

Herman Cain, a former presidential candidate and a co-chairman for Black Voices for Trump, has died of the coronavirus. He was 74.

Cain was hospitalized July 2 with the virus and was reportedly on a ventilator in an Atlanta-area hospital at the time of his death.

"Herman Cain – our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us – has passed away," reads a post Thursday morning on the website HermanCain.com. "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." 

As recently as Monday, posts on Cain's Twitter account suggested he was in serious but stable condition.

“We know it's been a few days since we last gave you an update on the boss,” one post stated. “But he is still in the hospital being treated with oxygen for his lungs. In the meantime, the doctors say his other organs and systems are strong.”

Cain ran for president in the 2012 GOP primary. 

He attended a June 20 Trump reelection rally in Tulsa, Okla., at which several members of Trump’s advance team contracted the virus. Cain also recently travelled to Arizona, which has suffered a recent spike in cases. How Cain contracted the virus is unclear.

The website post Thursday also stated that doctors just five days ago thought Cain would eventually recover, although it wouldn’t be quick.

He was diagnosed in 2006 with liver cancer. Cain stared his professional career as civilian employee for the Navy and eventually became CEO for Godfather’s Pizza.