Photo: Scott Olson / Getty Images News / Getty Images
Civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate Rev. Jesse Jackson has died at age 84, his family announced Tuesday (February 17). The ordained Baptist minister, who rose from the segregated South to become one of America's most prominent civil rights voices, died peacefully surrounded by loved ones.
"Our father was a servant leader - not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world," the Jackson family said in a statement. "We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family."
Jackson first gained national prominence in the 1960s as a close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was present when King was assassinated in Memphis in 1968. Following King's death, Jackson continued the fight for equality, founding Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) in 1971 and the National Rainbow Coalition in 1983, which later merged to form Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
His political ambitions led him to seek the Democratic presidential nomination twice, in 1984 and 1988, campaigns that helped elevate the voices of marginalized communities and register millions of new voters. Though he never secured the nomination, his runs broke barriers for future candidates of color.
In 2017, Jackson announced he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, calling it a "physical challenge" but continuing his advocacy work. More recently, he had been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative condition, and was hospitalized in November 2025.
Throughout his life, Jackson remained committed to fighting for justice and equality both in the United States and internationally. His family has requested that people honor his memory "by continuing the fight for the values he lived by."
Public memorial services will be held in Chicago, with details to be announced by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Jackson is survived by his wife Jacqueline, five children, and grandchildren.