October 04, 2015
Jerry Mondesire, former president of the NAACP's Philadelphia chapter, died Sunday at the age of 65 after suffering a brain aneurysm, his family announced.
In a statement, Mondesire's family said details about memorial service are forthcoming, 6ABC reports.
Details about the memorial service are forthcoming. The family wants to thank everyone for their love and support.
A family friend previously told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the civil rights leader suffered a brain aneurysm while receiving dialysis in Chestnut Hill, also telling the newspaper that the situation was "very grave." Mondesire was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hosptal in critical condition Saturday night.
The civil rights leader served as the president of the Philadelphia NAACP from 1991 to 2014.
Before joining the organization, Mondesire worked in journalism and politics. Following his death, the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists issued a statement:
The Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists (PABJ) is heartbroken to learn of the passing of longtime member J. Whyatt "Jerry" Mondesire earlier this evening. We join his family, friends and the Philadelphia community in mourning his death. Mondesire, 65, was a founding member of PABJ, and a relentless crusader for human and civil rights...
He reported for the Inquirer in the 1970's and served as chief of staff for Congressman William H. Gray during the 1980's. He started his own newspaper, the Philadelphia Sunday Sun, in 1991.
