The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a towering figure in the American civil rights movement who carried forward the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and broke new ground in presidential politics, has died at 84.
According to The Washington Post, Jackson’s family announced his death Tuesday but did not disclose where or how he died. He had been living with Parkinson’s disease since his diagnosis in 2015. In later years, he was also diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare neurological disorder that affects movement and balance.
A gifted orator and charismatic preacher, Jackson rose to national prominence as a close aide to King during the height of the civil rights movement. After King’s assassination in 1968, Jackson emerged as a leading voice for Black political empowerment, economic justice and racial equality.
He made history with two groundbreaking presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988, becoming the first African American candidate to mount a competitive bid for a major party’s nomination. His campaigns energized millions of voters and expanded the political coalition that would later help reshape the Democratic Party.
Throughout his decades of activism, Jackson championed a message of hope and dignity, often declaring, “I am — somebody,” a rallying cry that became emblematic of his work to uplift marginalized communities.
His death marks the end of an era in American public life, closing the chapter on one of the most influential civil rights leaders of the post–King generation, The Washington Post reported.
