Jesse Jackson, veteran US civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, has died aged 84 - 17 February 2026

[sds71]

"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. 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 given. His family said he died peacefully surrounded by his loved ones.

He was admitted to a hospital in November and had been living for more than a decade with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), according to his Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which affects patients’ ability to walk and swallow and can lead to dangerous complications.

Jackson revealed he had Parkinson’s in 2017. He was treated as an outpatient at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago for at least two years before he shared the diagnosis with the public.

Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights icon and two-time presidential candidate, dies at 84

“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 Tuesday.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[MrsWatson]

Rest in Power, Mr. Jackson.

 

[DS2021]

Jesse Jackson, towering icon of civil rights, dies following lengthy illness

In a decades-long effort, Jesse Jackson stood alongside MLK, pushed for voting rights, shamed corporations and negotiated with world leaders.

www.usatoday.com

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a towering civil rights icon who battled alongside Martin Luther King Jr., negotiated global hostage releases, and shamed corporations for their lack of corporate diversity and failure to support voting rights, has died. He was 84.

Jackson was hospitalized on Nov. 12 following a lengthy battle with the neuromuscular disease progressive supranuclear palsy, a condition similar to Parkinson's disease. He was later released from the hospital later that month. Jackson was a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, a Democratic presidential candidate and one of the world's best-known Black activists

 

[Izzylizzy]

Godspeed Jesse.

Jackson, Jesse Louis

kinginstitute.stanford.edu

 

[Stunned]

Blessings on Rev. Jackson's family.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson has died aged 84.

Jesse Jackson: A life in pictures

A look back at the remarkable life of the US civil rights activist, who died on Tuesday aged 84.

www.bbc.com

 

[auburnmomof2]

He spoke at my high school in the early 1990's. Our school was one of the most racially diverse in the country at that time. I will never forget his speech, secret service being there and his kindness. We all repeated his words "I am somebody" I wish I had a recording of his speech that day

 

[imstilla.grandma]