Jesse Jackson Dies at 84, Remembered as Servant Leader and Civil Rights Icon

Rev. Jesse Jackson, a towering civil rights activist and religious leader who worked to improve economic conditions for Black communities and advocated for social justice causes around the world, died on Tuesday at 84. He died peacefully while surrounded by family, his relatives said in a statement that included the words: "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." A cause of death was not immediately available. In November 2025, Jackson was hospitalized in Chicago where he was under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurological disorder that can affect body movements and balance. PSP is similar to Parkinson’s, which Jackson was originally diagnosed with in 2013. His PSP diagnosis was confirmed in April 2025. For more than 50 years, Jackson was one of the most prominent activists in the United States. He began in the Sixties, working closely with Martin Luther King Jr., before going on to found two advocacy groups, Operation PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity) and the National Rainbow Coalition. These two later consolidated into the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. His opposition to Ronald Reagan led him to launch two presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988. Though both fell short, Jackson registered millions of new voters and significantly over-performed expectations, finishing third in 1984 (behind Gary Hart and Walter Mondale) and second in 1988 (behind Michael Dukakis).

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