Civil rights activist and former presidential candidate Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. died Tuesday morning at age 84.
Jackson had been experiencing health issues over the last several years, including a hospital stay last year due to a rare neurological disorder.
Here is a timeline of Jackson’s recent medical history:
Ludovic Marin/POOL/AFP via Getty Images – PHOTO: Veteran American civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson looks after being awarded with the Legion of Honour by French President at the Elysee Palace in Paris on July 19, 2021.
2008
In September 2008, Jackson was hospitalized at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago after complaining of severe stomach pains and becoming dehydrated, according to the Associated Press.
Doctors reportedly told Jackson he had viral gastroenteritis, also commonly known as the “stomach flu,” and were performing more tests.
Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights icon, dies at 84
2017
In November 2017, Jackson announced that he had been living with Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the weakening of nerve cells, which become damaged and die.
Patients with Parkinson’s disease experience symptoms including problems with movement, tremors, muscle stiffness and instability, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
“My family and I began to notice changes about three years ago,” Jackson wrote in a letter at the time. “For a while, I resisted interrupting my work to visit a doctor. But as my daily physical struggles intensified, I could no longer ignore the symptoms, so I acquiesced.”
“After a battery of tests, my physicians identified the issue as Parkinson’s disease, a disease that bested my father,” he continued.
Jackson wrote that he had been slow to grasp the gravity of his condition, but said he was making lifestyle changes and was in physical therapy to slow the progression of the disease.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images – PHOTO: Rev. Jesse Jackson carries an American flag outside the Glynn County Courthouse after adjournment of daily court proceedings in the trial for the killers of Ahmaud Arbery on November 18, 2021 in Brunswick, Georgia.
2021
Jackson was hospitalized at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in January 2021 after complaining of “abdominal discomfort,” according to the Associated Press.
Jackson’s spokesman Frank Watkins confirmed about a week later that Jackson underwent gallbladder surgery.
According to the Rainbow PUSH Coalition (RPC), a nonprofit organization formed as a merger of two organizations founded by Jackson, the civil rights leader was released to a rehabilitation center for a “short period of exercise and therapy.” He was discharged in March.
Jesse Jackson released from hospital after fall while protesting at Howard University with students
“Rev. Jackson is continuing his civil rights and organizational work and is in high spirits,” the organization’s statement said. “He’s expected to be home with his family shortly.”
On Aug. 21, both Jackson and his wife, Jacqueline Jackson, were hospitalized at Northwestern Memorial Hospital after testing positive for COVID-19.
“Doctors are currently monitoring the condition of both,” the RPC said in a statement at the time. “Anyone who has been around either of them for the last five or six days should follow the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines.”
Jackson wrote in a statement on the RPC’s website that he received his first COVID-19 vaccine earlier that year to bolster vaccine confidence among African Americans. However, his wife was not vaccinated due to a “pre-existing condition.”
In a brief phone interview with the Associated Press at the time, Jackson said he was “doing fairly well.”
“Both of our parents are continuing to receive excellent ongoing medical care the result of their testing positive for the COVID-19 virus,” their son, Jonathan Jackson, said in a statement at the time. “The purpose of these updates is not to give you a medical report but to urge you to continue to keep our parents in your prayers because we know this is a serious disease.”
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After about a week, Jesse Jackson was released from the hospital and transferred to a rehabilitation facility, while his wife was moved to the intensive care unit, the family said.
Jacqueline Jackson was moved out of the ICU on Aug. 31 and released from the hospital on Sept. 4
“Our mother is leaving the Northwestern Memorial Hospital and coming home,” the family said in a statement. “Our family is grateful to God and the medical team that treated her and that is allowing her body to continue to heal from the COVID-19 virus.”
Meanwhile, Jesse Jackson remained at The Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, receiving intensive occupational and physical therapy, according to their son Jonathan.
In November, Jesse Jackon was hospitalized again after suffering a fall while protesting poor campus living conditions with students at Howard University.
The university said he was taken to the hospital by a university administrator and was later joined by Wayne Frederick, the university’s president. Jackson was released from the hospital the next day.
2025
On Nov. 12, Jackson was hospitalized and under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurological disorder, the RPC said.
PSP affects body movements, walking, balance and eye movements, according to NINDS. It is caused by nerve cell damage in brain areas that control thinking and body movements, the institute notes.
Alex Wong/Getty Images – PHOTO: The Rev. Jesse Jackson addresses the 2001 National Urban League Meeting August 1, 2001 in Washington, DC.
The RPC said earlier that year, in April, Jackson’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease was changed to PSP.
Although symptoms of PSP resemble Parkinson’s, the conditions are different with PSP having a later onset than Parkinson’s and worsening more rapidly, according to NINDS.
Patients usually experience severe disability within three to five years of symptoms beginning and may experience complications including choking, pneumonia or head injuries from falls.
Jackson’s family said he was moved out of the ICU on Nov. 17, and was breathing without the assistance of machines. Jackson was discharged on Nov. 24.
“Our family would like to thank the countless friends and supporters who have reached out, visited, and prayed for our father,” his son and family spokesperson, Yusef Jackson, said in a statement.
On Dec. 11, Jackson’s family said he was at an acute nursing facility and expected to be home soon, according to ABC News owned station WLS.
The family said on Dec. 22 that Jackson had been discharged from the facility, WLS reported.
“This has been quite a journey for our immediate family, the many people my father interacts with daily, and the people whose lives he has touched,” Yusef Jackson said in a statement.
“We are deeply grateful to gather with family in a seat at our table, knowing that this blessing is not shared by all. We hold in our hearts and prayers those who are navigating this season without loved ones, extending love, comfort, and compassion to every family experiencing loss,” he added.
