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Longtime civil rights activist Ozell Sutton, who often marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., died at the age of 90, his family confirmed Sunday.

Sutton died “peacefully” at Saint Joseph Hospital in Atlanta on Saturday, Alta Sutton, the leader’s daughter, told the Associated Press.

“He was a wonderful husband and father,” she told the Press. “They don’t make daddies like him. He was a gem, a rare pearl. He was such a tremendous force. He lived a great life.”

Sutton was instrumental in assisting the “Little Rock Nine,” a group of Black students, in their revolutionary act of desegregating Little Rock Central High School in 1957. He was present during the Selma march and when Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis.

After the movement, Sutton worked as a mediator for the U.S. Department of Justice before retiring in 2003. In 2012, Sutton earned a Congressional Gold Medal for his role as one of the first African-Americans to serve in the United States Marine Corp.

Funeral arrangements for Sutton, who turned 90 just last week, are pending.

May he rest in peace.

SOURCE: WSBTV, ABC | PHOTO CREDIT: Twitter, Getty

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