Jesse Jackson dead: Civil rights icon dies aged 84

A cause of death was not immediately given but Jackson’s family said he died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones

President Barack Obama led tributes to the legendary civil rights activist and two-time presidential candidate Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday aged 84.

The former president and his wife Michelle described Rev. Jackson, who was a protege of Martin Luther King Jr. and led the civil rights movement for decades after Dr King’s assassination, as a “true giant” – adding: “We stood on his shoulders.”

President Donald Trump also paid tribute to Rev. Jackson as a “good man, with lots of personality, grit, and street smarts.”

A statement from former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Rev. Jackson “championed human dignity and helped create opportunities for countless people to live better lives.” It added: “Throughout it all, he kept marching to the music of his conscience, his convictions, and his causes.”

A cause of death was not immediately given, but Jackson’s family said he 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,” his family said.

“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.”

Rev. Jesse Jackson was a legendary civil rights activist and two-time presidential candidate (Getty)

In November, Jackson was hospitalized for treatment to regulate his blood pressure, having been under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy.

PSP is “a rare neurological disorder that affects body movements, walking and balance, and eye movements,” according to the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

The Baptist minister was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017.

Rev. Jackson, pictured in 2016, remained a star in Democratic political circles (AP)

Growing up in poverty in Jim Crow-era South Carolina, facing judgment for being born out of wedlock and personal challenges with his biological father, Jackson learned early on to channel his fears into excellence.

While attending North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Jackson became active in the civil rights movement, gaining the attention of Dr. King, and was ordained a minister in 1968. Through his charismatic speeches, Jackson energized thousands of people to boycott businesses that refused to hire qualified Black Americans.

Jackson started a nonprofit, Operation People United to Save Humanity, or PUSH, in 1971, which later merged with his political movement, the National Rainbow Coalition, to form Rainbow PUSH Coalition in 1996.

Then-Democratic presidential candidate Jesse Jackson delivering a press conference in May 1985 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, warning the U.S. off military intervention in Nicaragua (AFP/Getty)

The Reverend launched a long-shot bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and came much closer when he ran again in 1988, with his historic campaigns marking the first time a Black candidate had won the nationwide Democratic youth vote.

Trump’s rival in the 2024 election, former Vice President Kamala Harris, revealed in her own tribute that she once had a “Jesse Jackson for President” bumper sticker on her car.

She wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that she often received a “honk of support” from other motorists.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris said that she had a bumper sticker expressing her support for Jackson’s historic presidential campaign (AP)

Al Sharpton, civil rights crusader and a friend of Jackson’s, was another to pay his respects on X.

He shared his belief that his friend had “changed this nation and the world.”

“He shaped public policy and changed laws,” Sharpton wrote. “He kept the dream alive and taught young children from broken homes, like me, that we don’t have broken spirits.”

Former President Joe Biden also shared a tribute to Jackson, writing that the campaigner “believed in his bones the promise of America.”

He was joined by fellow former President George W Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush, who wrote on Facebook that Jackson’s “tireless advocacy is a legacy that will long endure.”

Some social media users drew attention to Jackson’s ability to build bridges across political divides, sharing pictures showing him in friendly moments with both President Trump and former President Barack Obama.

Rev. Jackson with Barack Obama in 2007 when the future president was a senator (AP)

Jackson himself appeared to have stopped using social media in 2024, with the last post from his verified X account in August that year a repost of a call to end the “horrific war in Gaza.”

Jackson is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, whom he married in 1962; their children Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan, Yusef, and Jacqueline; his daughter, Ashley Jackson, and various grandchildren.

Public observances will be held in Chicago, the family said, with final arrangements to be announced by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.