Civil Rights Leader Jesse Jackson Dies at 84

Reverend Jesse Jackson died at age 84, his family said he passed peacefully in the early hours of Feb. 17; an official cause of death had not been released at the time of publication.

Reverend Jesse Jackson, a long-time civil rights leader and former presidential candidate, has died at age 84. His family said he died in the early hours of Tuesday, Feb. 17, and that he passed peacefully surrounded by loved ones. An official cause of death had not been released at the time of publication. Jackson had a decades-long public career in civil rights and national politics. Key points: - Jackson’s family announced he died peacefully in the early hours of Feb. 17 and was 84 years old. - The family’s statement asked that his memory be honored; it also described him as a servant leader to the oppressed and overlooked. - No official cause of death had been released as of publication. - Jackson had publicly disclosed in 2017 that he had been living with Parkinson’s disease since 2015 and was hospitalized in November 2025 for observation related to progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Summary: Jackson’s passing marks the end of a long public career in the civil rights movement and national politics, including work with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Selma marches, Operation PUSH, and the Rainbow Coalition. Undetermined at this time.