The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the famed civil rights leader who marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and later ran for president, has died, his family says. He was 84.
Jackson was hospitalized for observation in November, and doctors said he’d been diagnosed with a degenerative condition called progressive supranuclear palsy. He revealed in 2017 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which affects the nervous system and slowly restricts movement and daily activities. Jackson called it a “physical challenge,” but he refused to let it prevent him from continuing his civil rights advocacy. His father, Noah Lewis Robinson Sr., also had Parkinson’s and died of the disease in 1997 at the age of 88.
Long known for his activism and political influence, Jackson spent his life dedicated to pursuing civil rights for disenfranchised groups both in the United States and abroad.
Jackson’s “unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity. A tireless change agent, he elevated the voices of the voiceless … leaving an indelible mark on history,” his family said.
“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the family said. “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”
He was with with Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 when he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.