Jesse Jackson, an American civil rights activist and politician, died on February 17, 2026, at age 84.
Born Jesse Louis Burns in Greenville, South Carolina, he was an ordained Baptist minister and a protégé of Martin Luther King Jr. and James Bevel during the civil rights movement.
Jackson became one of the most prominent civil rights leaders of the late 20th and early 21st centuries and was an early supporter of LGBTQ rights in the United States. He began his activism in the 1960s, founded organizations that later merged to form the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, launched a presidential campaign in 1984, and served as the District of Columbia’s shadow United States senator from 1991 to 1997.
Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. (né Burns; October 8, 1941 – February 17, 2026) was an American civil rights activist, LGBTQ rights activist, politician, and ordained Baptist minister. A protégé of Martin Luther King Jr. and James Bevel during the civil rights movement, he became one of the most prominent civil rights leaders of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and an ardent advocate and early supporter of LGBTQ rights in the United States. From 1991 to 1997, he served as a shadow United States senator for the District of Columbia.