American Civil Rights Leader Joseph Lowery Dies, Aged 98

The Reverend Joseph Lowery, a key ally of Martin Luther King in the U.S. civil rights movement of the 1960s, died late on Friday at the age of 98.

Rev. Joseph E. Lowery speaks at the National Press Club in Washington on July 2, 2008. Susan Walsh/AP Photo

The Reverend Joseph Lowery, a key ally of Martin Luther King in the U.S. civil rights movement of the 1960s, died late on Friday at the age of 98, his family said in a statement.

“Our beloved, Rev. Dr. Joseph Echols Lowery, made his transition peacefully at home at 10 p.m., Friday, March 27, at the age of 98.