Rev. Jesse Jackson, Baptist minister and civil rights icon, dies at 84

WASHINGTON — The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Baptist minister,  longtime civil rights leader and Black icon, has died, according to multiple outlets. He was 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. “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 provided. Jackson died Tuesday surrounded by family, according to a statement posted online about his death. 

Jackson had recently been diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder after being misdiagnosed for over a decade. He was hospitalized last year for complications related to the condition. 

The Chicago-based minister was admitted to Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Nov. 13 under observation for the neurological disorder progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). The Chicago-based civil rights leader was originally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013, but the diagnosis was changed to PSP in April 2025, according to Jackson’s organization. PSP can begin with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s. 

In recent months, his relatives, including sons U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson and Jesse Jackson Jr., a former Illinois congressman seeking reelection, have been providing 24-hour care in shifts.

The reverend has struggled to keep his eyes open and is unable to speak. But he has found ways to communicate with family and friends who visit, his son Jesse Jackson Jr. told The Associated Press last month.

“He’ll squeeze your hand,” he said.

Jackson has been a powerful advocate for civil rights and a strong voice in American politics for decades.

A protégé of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., he broke with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1971 to form Operation PUSH, initially named People United to Save Humanity, on Chicago’s South Side. The organization was later renamed the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. The group’s mission ranges from promoting minority hiring in the corporate world to voter registration drives in communities of color.

As a young organizer in Chicago, Jackson was called to meet with King at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis shortly before King was killed and he publicly positioned himself thereafter as King’s successor.

Jackson led a lifetime of crusades in the United States and abroad, advocating for the poor and underrepresented on issues from voting rights and job opportunities to education and health care. He scored diplomatic victories with world leaders, and through his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, he channeled cries for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms, pressuring executives to make America a more open and equitable society.

Jackson has been a driving force in the modern civil rights movement, pushing for voting rights and education. Among other things, he joined George Floyd’s family at a memorial for the slain Black man and has participated in COVID-19 vaccination drives to counter Black hesitancy about the drugs.

Before Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, Jackson had been the most successful Black presidential candidate. He won 13 primaries and caucuses in his push for the 1988 Democratic nomination, which went to Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis.

Progressive supranuclear palsy, known as PSP, is a rare neurological disorder that affects walking, balance, eye movements and swallowing. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, PSP results from the damage of cells in areas of the brain that control body movement, coordination, thinking and other essential functions. The condition worsens over time and can lead to complications such as pneumonia and trouble swallowing. 

There is currently no cure for PSP, though treatments can help manage symptoms.

The disorder, which affects people in their late 60s and 70s, is also called Steele-Richardson-Olszewski syndrome, the Mayo Clinic notes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.