Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson died on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. He had been hospitalized in November 2025, due to the neuromuscular disease progressive supranuclear palsy, and spent weeks in the facility’s care. A cause of death was not released. He was 84 years old.

“His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity,” a statement from his family said.

Jackson was born Jesse Burns on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, then later took his stepfather’s last name of Jackson. He grew up living under the Jim Crow segregation laws, and was inspired by the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from North Carolina A&T college where he became student body president and joined the civil rights movement.

Throughout his career, Jackson fought for equality alongside Martin Luther King Jr., challenged corporations to be more diverse in their corporate structure, pushed to improve voting rights, and negotiated hostage releases on a global level.

Following Dr. King’s assassination in 1968, Jackson became the leading voice of the civil rights movement. In 1984 he founded the National Rainbow Coalition to advocate for racial equality, economic improvement for marginalized people, and better political representation for people of color.

He gave impassioned speeches at public events, demanding that all people be treated with respect, preached for the finding of common ground among different races, and helped to shape the democratic party with his ideals.

Jackson ran for president in 1984 and ’88, but did not secure the democratic ticket during the primaries. He spent over 60 years working in various roles to champion the cause for equality.