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It’s with a heavy heart that I report Civil Rights icon Reverand Joseph E. Lowery has passed away at 98.

His daughter, Cheryl Lowery, confirmed his passing on Friday night. The news comes months after Rev. Lowery celebrated his 98th birthday with his family and friends.

The King Center took Twitter to grieve the loss of an incredible man.

Via AJC.com:

Lowery made his mark in the 1950s and 1960s as a key civil rights leader at the shoulder of Martin Luther King Jr., helping to start the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

He would go on serve the longest tenure in history as the president of the SCLC.His career would see him pastor Cascade United Methodist Church and deliver the benediction at the 2009 inauguration of the country’s first black president, Barack Obama.

Rest in paradise, Rev. Lowery.