CHICAGO — The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the charismatic and often controversial protégé of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who bridged the gap between the street protests of the 1960s and the highest corridors of American power, has died. He was 84.
Jackson’s family confirmed he passed away “peacefully” Tuesday morning at his home in Chicago, surrounded by loved ones. While the family did not specify a cause of death, Jackson had spent his final years battling Parkinson’s disease and a rare neurological disorder known as progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).
“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. “His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions.”
The Heir to the Lorraine Motel
Jesse Louis Jackson’s life was defined by a singular, traumatic moment: standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968. As King lay dying, Jackson—then a young, ambitious organizer—emerged from the chaos to become one of the most visible leaders of the next generation.
Though his relationship with other King lieutenants was often fraught with rivalry, Jackson’s talent for “street heat” and media savvy was undeniable. In 1971, he founded Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) in Chicago, an organization that pioneered the use of corporate boycotts to demand Black employment and investment in inner cities.
The Rainbow Architect
If King broke the back of Jim Crow, Jackson broke the ceiling of American electoral politics. His 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns were dismissed by the establishment as quixotic, yet they fundamentally reshaped the Democratic Party.
By forming the Rainbow Coalition, Jackson did something unprecedented: he united Black voters, Latinos, poor whites, and the LGBTQ+ community under a single “progressive” banner.
- 1984: He won over 3 million votes and secured the release of captured U.S. Navy pilot Robert Goodman from Syria.
- 1988: He won 13 primaries and caucuses, proving that a Black candidate could win in states as diverse as Michigan and Alaska.
“I am not a perfect servant. I am a public servant doing my best against the odds,” he famously told the 1984 Democratic National Convention. “Keep hope alive!”
A Life of Global Diplomacy
Jackson was never content with domestic borders. He became a self-appointed “shadow secretary of state,” traveling to some of the world’s most dangerous corners to negotiate the release of prisoners and hostages. From Havana to Baghdad to Belgrade, Jackson used the moral authority of the Civil Rights Movement to navigate diplomatic deadlocks that stymied the White House.
In the 1990s, he was a pivotal voice in the international movement to end apartheid in South Africa, forming a deep bond with Nelson Mandela.
The Final Battle
In his later years, the fire remained, even as his body began to fail. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2017, Jackson continued to appear at protests, including the 2020 demonstrations following the murder of George Floyd.
By 2025, his condition had evolved into PSP, a debilitating disorder that impacted his balance and speech. In his final public appearances, he was often seen in a wheelchair, unable to speak but still present at the front lines—a silent sentinel for the movement he helped build.
An Indelible Legacy
Jesse Jackson leaves behind a complicated but massive legacy. He was the most prominent Black person to run for the presidency until Barack Obama’s historic 2008 win—an event that brought Jackson to tears in Chicago’s Grant Park.
While he was occasionally criticized for his ego and “anti-Semitic” comments earlier in his career (for which he apologized), he remained the primary mediator for Black America during some of its most turbulent decades.
As the sun sets over the South Side of Chicago, the city he called home for sixty years, the “morning” he often preached about has arrived for Jesse Jackson. The “servant leader” is at rest, but the “Rainbow” he painted across the American political landscape remains.