Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson dies aged 84
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the longtime civil rights activist, Baptist minister and two-time presidential candidate, has died aged 84.
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The legendary Baptist minister and two-time presidential candidate passed away peacefully this morning “surrounded by family”.
Announcing his death, his family said in a statement: "Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world.
“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.”
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His cause of death was not immediately given. His family said he died peacefully surrounded by his loved ones.
In 2017, the renowned civil right's leader revealed he had Parkinson's. Last November he was hospitalized in Chicago last November for progressive supranuclear palsy - a rare brain disease.
Jackson was born in Greenville, South Carolina, and rose to prominence in the civil rights era, participating in demonstrations alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
His activism spanned decades, including two runs for the Democratic presidential nomination, in 1984 and 1988.
In the first race, he won more than 18 per cent of the primary vote and a handful of primaries and caucuses. Four years later, he won 11 primaries and caucuses.