Civil rights colossus and former US presidential candidate Rev Jesse Jackson passes away

PROMINENT civil rights campaigner and two-time US presidential candidate the Reverend Jesse Jackson has passed away at the age of 84 succumbing a recent degenerative condition described as progressive supranuclear palsy.

Reverend Jackson, who ran twice for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, was born on October 8 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina. He rose to prominence in the 1960s as a leader in Martin Luther King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference and was present with Dr King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968.

Among other things, Reverend Jackson launched two social justice and activism organisations known as Operation Push and the National Rainbow Coalition. He remained an activist into later life, pursuing civil rights for disenfranchised groups both in the US and abroad.

Although the official cause of Reverend Jackson's death has not yet been confirmed, he was hospitalised in November and doctors said at the time that he had been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy. In 2017, Reverend Jackson announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a progressive disorder which affects the brain, nervous system and muscle control.

At the time, Reverend Jackson called it a physical challenge but he continued his civil rights advocacy. His father, Noah Lewis Robinson, also had Parkinson's and died of the disease in 1997 at the age of 88.

Reverend Jackson's family issued a statement about his death with read: "It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of civil rights leader and founder of the Rainbow Push Coalition, the Honourable Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson He died peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family.

"His unwavering commitment to justice, equality and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity. A tireless change agent, he elevated the voices of the voiceless from his presidential campaigns in the 1980s to mobilising millions to register to vote - leaving an indelible mark on history.

"Reverend Jackson is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, their children - Santita, Jesse Jr, Jonathan, Yusef, Jacqueline, daughter Ashley Jackson and grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his mother Helen Burns Jackson, father Noah Louis Robinson and stepfather Charles Henry Jackson.

'"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 honour his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.

"Public observances will be held in Chicago. Final arrangements for Reverend Jackson's celebration of life services, including all public events, will be released by the Rainbow Push Coalition."