Pastor Al Sharpton's father has died at the age of 93

Rev. Al Sharpton’s father has died at the age of 93.

The 69-year-old civil rights activist published a statement on X announcing the death of his father.

“I am deeply saddened to announce the passing of my father, Al Sharpton Sr. Our relationship was complicated, but he was still my father,” he said. “Over the last 18 years, I was able to process my pain and feelings of abandonment and we built a relationship that meant a lot to me.”

The elder Sharpton died Friday in Orlando, Fla. According to his son, Sharpton Sr. was born and raised in “Jim Crow Florida” before moving to New York City and becoming a “successful entrepreneur.”

Sharpton has spoken in the past about his complicated relationship with his father, who left the family in 1963 when the younger Sharpton was just 10 years old and began a relationship and new family with Sharpton's 18-year-old half-sister.

“One morning I wake up and he's gone. And not only is he gone, but so is my oldest sister from my mother's first marriage,” Sharpton told Madame Noire in 2013. “She left with him and they had a child. And then they came and took my sister to live with them.”

Father and son lived estranged until they reconciled in 2006.

In June, Sharpton posted a Father's Day message for his “biological father,” writing, “Although he left me when I was 10, we reconciled many years later. I learned from his wisdom and tenacity.”

The civil rights activist encouraged his followers to use his father's death as an opportunity to reconcile with estranged relatives.

“I have learned from my own mistakes and from his. May my father rest in peace,” he wrote.

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