The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a civil rights leader who bridged the era of Martin Luther King Jr. with the modern world and whose two presidential runs in the 1980s set the stage for today’s progressive movement, died early Tuesday, his family announced. He was 84.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
The statement did not list a cause of death but noted that Jackson died peacefully surrounded by family.
Jackson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2013. His diagnosis changed to progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurodegenerative disorder, in April, his Rainbow Coalition/PUSH organization said.
He was hospitalized in November for about two weeks and later also received care at an acute nursing facility for the condition.
