The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a prominent civil rights activist, Baptist minister, and two-time Democratic presidential candidate, has died at the age of 84, his family announced Tuesday.
In a statement, the Jackson family remembered him as a “servant leader” devoted not only to his loved ones but also to marginalized and oppressed communities around the world. “Our father was a servant leader not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the family said. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by family members. No immediate cause of death has been provided.
Jackson had faced serious health challenges in recent years. For more than a decade, he lived with progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative neurological disorder affecting movement and swallowing, according to the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which he founded. In 2017, he publicly disclosed a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and had been receiving treatment as an outpatient at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. He was also hospitalized for observation in November 2025 due to complications from his condition.
Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson rose to prominence during the civil rights era, working closely with Martin Luther King Jr. A protégé of King, he built a career dedicated to politically organizing and improving the lives of African-Americans, becoming a national political force during his two presidential campaigns. He sought the Democratic nomination in 1984 and 1988, capturing more than 18% of the primary vote in his first bid and winning 11 primaries and caucuses four years later.
Jackson continued to advocate for civil rights throughout his life. Following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, he traveled to Minneapolis to join demonstrations and push for criminal charges, telling Vanity Fair at the time, “It was in some sense the worst of the civil rights killings all over again.”
Political figures around the world paid tribute. Diane Abbott, the first Black woman elected to the UK Parliament, said Jackson was a “huge influence” on her career. “He was so principled. He never stopped fighting for and caring about ordinary Black people,” she said, calling him a “link to the Martin Luther King era” and praising his charisma and leadership. Abbott added that Jackson’s legacy will inspire “a whole generation of Black politicians.”
Public memorial events are planned in Chicago, with further details to be announced by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and the Jackson family.
