Chicago — The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a towering figure in the American civil rights movement who marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and later ran for president, has died at the age of 84, his family announced Tuesday.
Jackson died peacefully Tuesday morning surrounded by loved ones, according to a statement released by his family.

He had been hospitalized in November for observation and was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative neurological condition. In 2017, Jackson revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which gradually restricts movement and daily activity. Despite calling the illness a “physical challenge,” Jackson continued his advocacy work and remained active in civil rights causes. His father, Noah Lewis Robinson Sr., also suffered from Parkinson’s and died from the disease in 1997.

For decades, Jackson was known for his activism and political influence, dedicating his life to advancing civil rights for marginalized communities in the United States and abroad. His family described him as a leader whose “unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity.”

As a young activist, Jackson became a close associate of King and was present in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968 when King was assassinated. That same year, he was ordained by the Rev. Clay Evans, after leaving Chicago Theological Seminary just three credits shy of completing his degree in order to fully commit to the civil rights movement. In 2000, the seminary awarded him a Master of Divinity degree in recognition of his lifetime of work.

Jackson later founded and led the Chicago-based Rainbow PUSH Coalition, an organization that became a national platform for economic and social justice initiatives. Over his lifetime, he received more than 40 honorary doctorate degrees from universities across the country.

Born on Oct. 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson was the son of Helen Burns Struggs, who was 16 at the time of his birth. Originally named Jesse Burns, he later took the surname of his stepfather, Charles Jackson.

In 2000, then-President Bill Clinton awarded Jackson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Jackson is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Jacqueline, five children, another daughter, and generations of Americans and global leaders inspired by his activism.

Public observances will be held in Chicago, his family said, with details of celebration of life services to be announced by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

Jackson’s passing marks the end of an era in the struggle for civil rights, leaving behind a legacy that shaped American politics and social justice movements for more than half a century.

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