* Late Jesse Jackson
The Pathfinder
Tuesday February 17, 2026
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Renowned American civil rights leader and former Democratic Party presidential aspirant, Jesse Jackson, has died at the age of 84, his family announced on Tuesday morning.
In a statement, the family said the veteran activist “died peacefully… surrounded by his family,” describing him as a servant leader who dedicated his life to justice and equality.
“Our father was a servant leader – not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the statement read.
Jackson was a towering figure in the American civil rights movement and worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1960s struggle for racial equality in the United States. His activism later evolved into a formidable political career that saw him seek the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1984 and again in 1988, becoming one of the most influential Black political leaders of his era.
He founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, an organisation committed to social justice, civil rights, and political empowerment, which confirmed that public observances would be held in Chicago.
In 2017, Jackson revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, describing it as a “physical challenge,” but he remained active in advocacy and public engagement. Last November, he was hospitalised for observation after doctors diagnosed him with progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative neurological condition.
The cause of death has not yet been officially confirmed.
Jackson is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, their children — Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan, Yusef and Jacqueline — as well as daughter Ashley Jackson and several grandchildren.
The family said details of celebration of life services and other public events would be announced in the coming days.
Tributes are already pouring in for the civil rights icon, whose decades-long fight for equality and voter mobilisation left an enduring mark on American political and social history.
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