Jesse Jackson, a prominent figure of the U.S. civil rights movement and protégé of Martin Luther King Jr., has died at 84, his family confirmed in a statement Tuesday.
“Our father was a servant leader—not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the statement read. “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 cause of Jackson’s death has not yet been disclosed, but his family said he “died peacefully.”
Jackson, a two-time presidential candidate, announced in 2017 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease some years prior.
In November, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a Chicago-based nonprofit founded by Jackson, confirmed that the civil rights leader had been living with a neurodegenerative condition called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) for over a decade.
“He was originally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease; however, last April, his PSP condition was confirmed,” the nonprofit said, in a statement that announced Jackson had been hospitalized.
He was discharged from Northwestern Memorial Hospital later that month, and was said to be in a “stable condition.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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