Aga Khan IV (1936–2025), spiritual leader, magnate, and philanthropist

The Aga Khan IV was the spiritual leader of the Isma'ili branch of Shia Islam, a billionaire philanthropist who helped build homes, hospitals and schools throughout the world.

Tony Campolo (1935–2024), Red-Letter Christians co-founder

Tony Campolo was a pastor, sociologist, author, and spiritual advisor who penned dozens of books, was a popular television-show guest, and co-founded the Red-Letter Christian movement.

Michael Lerner (1943–2024), activist and founder of Tikkun magazine

Rabbi Michael Lerner was a political and social activist, as well as the founder of the progressive faith-based magazine, Tikkun. 

Al Kresta (1951–2024), Catholic radio show host

Al Kresta was a prominent Catholic radio show host heard on stations across the country who also helped launch Ave Maria Communications.

Rev. James M. Lawson Jr. (1928–2024), civil rights leader

Rev. James M. Lawson Jr. was a civil rights leader whose focus on non-violent protest proved highly influential to and helped shape the 1960s civil rights movement.

Rev. Bill Lawson (1928–2024), civil rights leader who worked with MLK

Rev. William “Bill” Lawson was a Houston civil rights leader who helped peacefully integrate his city and worked alongside

Rev. Cecil Williams (1929–2024), San Francisco pastor and humanitarian

Rev. Cecil Williams was the pastor of Glide Church in San Francisco for 60 years, turning it from a small congregation to San Francisco’s largest social services provider, one years ahead of its time in welcoming LGBTQ members.

Jerry Savelle (1946–2024), author and televangelist

Jerry Savelle was an author and televangelist who wrote over 70 books, spoke in over 3,000 churches and preached “prosperity gospel,” which says giving to religious causes will bring wealth back to the donor.

Rev. Cecil Murray Sr. (1929–2024), Los Angeles civil rights leader

Rev. Cecil “Chip” Murray Sr. was a minister and civil rights leader who emerged as a calming voice during the Los Angeles Riots of 1992.

Sandra Crouch (1942–2024), Grammy Award-winning gospel artist 

Sandra Crouch was a Grammy Award-winning gospel singer and songwriter who also performed on several Motown records and contributed songs by the Jackson 5.

John Delendick (1949–2023), FDNY chaplain on 9/11

Rev. Monsignor John Delendick was a Catholic chaplain with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) who comforted firefighters and their families at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks.

Carlton Pearson (1953–2023), megachurch founder who denied hell 

Carlton Pearson was a megachurch founder who embraced the idea of universal reconciliation, a fringe Christian doctrine that asserts there is no hell, and all souls will eventually be welcomed by God, and was branded as a heretic by the evangelical fundamentalist church as a result. 

M. Russell Ballard (1928–2023), Mormon leader

M. Russell Ballard was a Mormon leader who stood second in line to lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church) as president. 

Rudolph Isley (1939–2023), founding member of the Isley Brothers

Rudolph Isley was a singer and songwriter who was a founding member of the Isley brothers, known for hit songs like “Shout,” “It’s Your Thing,” and “Twist and Shout.”

Rev. Steve Pieters (1952–2023), longtime HIV/AIDS activist 

Rev. Dr. A. Steve Pieters was an influential HIV/AIDS activist whose interview with in 1985 helped begin to shift public opinion on the outbreak and how to confront it.

Pat Robertson (1930–2023), televangelist who hosted The 700 Club

Pat Robertson was a former Southern Baptist minister and political commentator who founded the Christian Broadcasting Network and hosted its flagship show, “The 700 Club,” since 1966.

Rev. Timothy Keller (1950–2023), pastor and bestselling author

Rev. Timothy Keller was the well-known pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, New York, as well as the author of bestselling books of Christianity and faith.

Rabbi Harold S. Kushner (1935–2023), best-selling author and lecturer 

Rabbi Harold S. Kushner was the author of “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” and other works that helped bring complex thoughts on loss and theology to a wide audience, regardless of their beliefs.

Rev. Charles Stanley (1932–2023), influential In Touch Ministries pastor 

The Rev. Charles Stanley was an influential pastor known for his TV and radio program, “In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley.”

Bob Richards (1926–2023), first athlete featured on Wheaties boxes

Bob Richards was an Olympic gold medalist in pole vaulting who became the first athlete featured on the front of Wheaties cereal boxes.

Pope Benedict XVI (1927–2022), former pope who stepped down in 2013

Pope Benedict XVI was the former pope, who became the first pope to resign his office voluntarily since 1294.

Rabbi Israel Dresner (1929–2022), civil rights activist who was a Freedom Rider

Rabbi Israel Dresner was a civil rights activist who protested segregation alongside his friend, .

Rabbi Earl A. Grollman (1925–2021), prominent grief expert

Rabbi Earl A. Grollman was a grief expert who appeared on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” and counseled grieving Americans after the Oklahoma City bombing and the .

Carl Bean (1944–2021), “I Was Born This Way” singer who inspired Lady Gaga

Carl Bean was a minister, AIDS activist, and singer known for his 1977 dance club hit, “I Was Born This Way.”

Luis Palau (1934–2021), evangelist called “the Billy Graham of Latin America”

Luis Palau was a popular Christian evangelist who worked with and became one of his successors as he preached to the Spanish-speaking audience.

Rance Allen (1948–2020), gospel music legend

Rance Allen was the lead singer of the popular gospel band the Rance Allen Group.

Robert Graetz (1928–2020), minister who helped organize Montgomery bus boycott

Rev. Robert Graetz was a Lutheran minister and civil rights activist who was among the residents of Montgomery, Alabama who organized a historic bus boycott.

Richard Wolbach (2020), Iwo Jima Marine who became a priest

Richard Wolbach was a Marine who fought in Iwo Jima during World War II. After his service, he was inspired to become a priest.

C.T. Vivian (1924–2020), civil rights leader who worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Rev. C.T. Vivian was one of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, who worked alongside to organize sit-ins and marches in the pursuit of equality.

Ravi Zacharias (1946–2020), popular Christian evangelist

Ravi Zachariaswas a popular Christian evangelistwhofoundedtheRavi Zacharias International Ministriesin Atlanta.

Rev. Joseph Lowery (1921–2020), civil rights leader & MLK colleague

Rev. Joseph Lowery was a leader of the American civil rights movement who cofounded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) along with . He also helped organize the pivotal Montgomery bus boycott.

Jack Van Impe (1931–2020), popular televangelist who preached about the rapture

Jack Van Impe was a televangelist known for his weekly program “Jack Van Impe Presents,” appearing on the Trinity Broadcasting Network for more than 20 years. An evangelical Christian, he commonly spoke about a coming apocalypse that he believed would happen soon. Van Impe co-hosted the program alongside his wife, Rexella, who read recent news while Van Impe interpreted the stories to bolster his vision of the impending end times. Van Impe was active until his recent illness, with his final broadcast coming earlier in January.

Rev. Clay Evans (1925–2019), civil rights leader and gospel legend

Rev. Clay Evans was the founder of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, where for 50 years he was a leading voice in the civil rights movement, evangelical broadcasting, and American gospel music. He supported Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s work in Chicago; he cofounded Operation PUSH, one of the nation’s pioneering civil rights organizations, with Rev. Jesse Jackson, whom he ordained at Fellowship in 1968; and he released eleven albums of gospel music, including “I’ve Got a Testimony,” which was nominated for a Soul Train Music Award in 1997.

Bishop Joseph Howze (1923–2019), pioneering African-American bishop

The first black bishop in the 20th century to head a U.S. diocese.

Christian Mondor (1925–2018), priest known as the “Surfing Padre”

The Rev. Christian Mondor, known as the “Surfing Padre,” died Wednesday, April 25, 2018, after a bout with pneumonia, according to the Associated Press. He was 92.

Rev. Billy Graham (1918–2018), preacher who counseled U.S. presidents

MONTREAT, N.C. (AP) — The Rev. Billy Graham, who transformed American religious life through his preaching and activism, becoming a counselor to presidents and the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history, died Wednesday. He was 99.

Wyatt Tee Walker (2018), civil rights pioneer

Helped assemble Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic "Letter From Birmingham Jail"…

Mother Mary Angelica (1923–2016), Eternal Word Television Network founder

Roman Catholic nun Mother Mary Angelica founded a global religious television network that reaches hundreds of millions of believers.

The Lives Martin Luther King Touched

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has inspired generations in the United States and around the world. A martyr for and the struggle, King was a voice for peace in one of the most tumultuous periods in American history.

MLK: Give Us the Ballot

On May 17, 1957, the traveled to Washington, D.C. for a rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The purpose of the protest? Push the president and Congress to enforce Brown v. Board of Education. It had been three years since the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down the legal basis of "separate but equal," yet in many places, not much had changed. In addition to urging the government to honor the historic Supreme Court decision, King also spoke at length about the role voting rights would play in addressing the ills plaguing African-Americans.

MLK: Our God is Marching On (How Long, Not Long)

On March 25, 1965, the  Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and a crowd of 25,000 marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in support of voting rights for African-Americans. At the conclusion of the march, King delivered this speech, familiarly referred to as "How Long, Not Long." The speech was defiant at times, referencing the violence that beset the movement at the time. In fact, a previous march on March 7 was met with a violent response from state troopers who beat and gassed marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. King's speech makes it clear that the movement cannot be dissuaded after coming so far, encouraging the people to keep up the struggle.

MLK: I've Been to the Mountaintop

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his final address April 3, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He and members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference were in the city to support an ongoing strike by sanitation workers, the focus of a large portion of the sermon. King gives equal weight to the ongoing nature of the struggle for human rights and the paramount importance of nonviolence for the survival of humanity.

Civil Rights Pioneers

Two little known pioneers in the civil rights struggles of the 1960s died within days of each other.

Alpha Phi Alpha Alums

Alpha Phi Alpha was the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans. Alpha Phil Alpha was founded at Cornell University in 1906, and over the decades, members and alums have been not only within the Black community but across America. The fraternity's famous alumni include , , , , , , , , , , and .

Jeanine Deckers, The Singing Nun

Jeanine Deckers was the unlikeliest of one-hit wonders, a singing nun from Belgium who called herself "Sister Smile." Her life came to a tragic end 26 years ago today...

Ralph Abernathy: King’s Right Hand Man

Ralph Abernathy was one of the most important figures in the Civil Rights Movement. We look back on his long struggle against racial oppression.