The Rev Jesse Jackson, the civil rights campaigner who was prominent for more than 50 years and ran strongly for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988, has died. He was 84.
In a statement, the Jackson family said their father was a servant leader who believed in justice, equality and love, and they asked others to honour his memory by continuing the fight for his values.
Jackson had been living with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) for over a decade, initially diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He was also hospitalised twice with Covid in recent years.
A fixture in the civil rights movement and Democratic politics since the 1960s, Jackson was once close to Dr Martin Luther King Jr. In 1988, he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, later credited by Barack Obama for making his victory possible.
Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson became involved in activism early. In 1960, he and seven Black students staged a peaceful protest at the whites-only public library, later known as the Greenville Eight. Their action led to the library's integration.
Jackson often credited his leadership skills to his time as a quarterback in football, saying: 'Assessing defenses; motivating your own team. ... You run to your strength.'
