Health Battles in Recent Years
In November 2025, Jesse was hospitalized and placed under observation for a neurodegenerative condition, according to NBC News.
His organization, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, said he had been managing progressive supranuclear palsy, or PSP, for more than a decade. He had originally been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, but in April 2025, doctors confirmed the condition was PSP.
Reverend Jesse Jackson attends an event at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition headquarters on March 17, 2023.
At the time, the organization said, “He was originally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease; however, last April, his PSP condition was confirmed. The family appreciates all prayers at this time.”
Jesse Jackson is greeted as he leaves a rally for Sonya Massey at New Mount Pilgrim Church on July 30, 2024.
Tributes From Civil Rights Leaders
Civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton responded quickly to the news.
In a statement, he said, “our nation lost one of its greatest moral voices,” and described Jesse as a man who “carried history in his footsteps and hope in his voice.”
Jesse Jackson attends a Sunday church service at Tabernacle Baptist Church on March 9, 2025.
He added, “Reverend Jackson stood wherever dignity was under attack, from apartheid abroad to injustice at home. His voice echoed in boardrooms and in jail cells. His presence shifted rooms. His faith never wavered.“
Jesse Jackson attends the Cannes Lions Festival in France on June 20, 2017.
