Rev. Jesse Jackson Has Passed Away
Civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson died on Tuesday (Feb. 17). A statement from the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, an organization he founded, announced the news in the early hours of February 17th. He was 84 years old.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Civil Rights leader and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Honorable Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr.,” the statement read. “He died peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family.”
Jackson is survived by his loving wife, Jacqueline, and their five children: Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan, Yusef, and Jacqueline. He is also survived by his daughter Ashley, who he had during an extramarital affair in 1999.
The Jackson family issued a statement saying, “Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world. We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”
Jackson Was Battling A Long Illness
According to USA Today, the civil rights leader had been suffering from an illness similar to Parkinson’s disease, progressive supranuclear palsy. He was hospitalized in November 2025 from complications of the disease, but released later in the month. The civil rights activist spent most of December in an acute nursing facility, but was discharged on December 22.
Jackson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in November 2017, but his diagnosis changed to progressive supranuclear palsy in April 2025. Prior to this diagnosis, Jackson and his wife were hospitalized with COVID-19 in August 2021, shortly after he was arrested for protesting Congress to end the filibuster on August 3rd.
Who Was Jesse Jackson?
Reverend Jesse Jackson was born on October 8, 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina. He attended a racially segregated high school, where he succeeded in academics and athletics. He even turned down a minor league baseball contract to play football at University Of Illinois. After two semesters, Jackson transferred to a historically black university due to racial prejudice, which he claims prevented him from playing quarterback at the predominately white University of Illinois.
After graduating with a BS in sociology in 1964, Jackson attended Chicago Theological Seminary, but dropped out just three classes short of earning his master’s degree. Instead, he focused on the civil rights movement. He eventually was ordained a minister in 1968, giving him the “Reverend” title we all know him as.
He worked with the likes of Martin Luther King, Jr. and James Bevel, participating in the iconic marches from Selma to Montgomery. He worked so closely with King that he was in the parking lot of the motel where King was assassinated.
In 1971, Jackson founded Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) and in 1984, he founded the National Rainbow Coalition. The two organizations combined in 1996, forming the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
The Rainbow PUSH Coalition “raised public awareness of numerous political issues and consolidated a large voting bloc. The merged entity has undertaken numerous social initiatives.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with Jackson’s family and friends during this time.