The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a prominent civil rights leader, Baptist minister and two-time Democratic presidential candidate, has died at 84 following a prolonged illness, according to statements from his family and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Jackson, who had been battling progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurological condition similar to Parkinson’s disease, was hospitalized in November and later released. His family said he died peacefully Tuesday morning surrounded by loved ones. A specific cause of death was not immediately provided.
Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson rose to national prominence as a teenager when he was arrested in 1960 for protesting segregation at a public library. He later joined the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights movement and was present in Memphis in 1968 when King was assassinated.
Jackson became a key leader in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, directing Operation Breadbasket in Chicago to pressure corporations to hire more Black employees. He later founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, an organization focused on civil rights, economic justice and political empowerment.
Over decades of activism, Jackson marched for voting rights, advocated for corporate diversity and negotiated the release of hostages abroad. He ran for president in 1984 and 1988, mobilizing millions of new voters and expanding Black political participation nationwide. In 2000, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Despite declining health in recent years, Jackson continued to speak out on civil rights and voting access. He was arrested in 2021 during protests over the Senate filibuster rule and supported demonstrators during high-profile police brutality cases.
“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” his family said in a statement.
Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton called Jackson “one of our nation’s greatest moral voices.”
Jackson’s death comes amid ongoing national debates over voting rights and racial justice.
Sources: USA Today (Trevor Hughes, Feb. 17, 2026); NBC News, Feb. 2026.
