Reverend Jesse Jackson, the renowned civil rights leader, Baptist minister, founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and two-time Democratic candidate for U.S. president, has passed away at the age of 84.
His family announced the news in a statement released Tuesday morning, expressing profound sadness at the loss of the Honorable Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr.
“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.
They continued: “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.”
Jackson died peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his loved ones. He had been battling progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a neurodegenerative condition that affects movement, balance, swallowing, and other functions, for over a decade. He was hospitalized in November amid complications from the illness, according to the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. The official cause of death was not disclosed.
A towering figure in American history, Jackson dedicated his life to advancing civil rights, economic justice, and equality, leaving an indelible mark through his activism, oratory, and global advocacy.