LOUISVILLE, KY -- Longtime civil rights activist the Rev. Louis Coleman, who prominently fought for equality everywhere from government and business to athletics, died Saturday. He was 64, reports the Lexington Herald-Leader in its Sunday edition.

As one of the state’s most outspoken civil rights proponents, his advocacy often centered on high-profile cases including police shootings, product boycotts and federal complaints.

Mr. Coleman’s death is “a major, major loss to the state of Kentucky,” said P.G. Peeples, president and CEO of Lexington’s Urban League, reports the Herald-Leader. “Louis Coleman was undoubtedly the most recognizable civil rights figure in Kentucky. And so his loss leaves a major hole in the civil rights community.”

Members of Louisville’s Justice Resource Center, which Mr. Coleman led, said he suffered from several seizures on Saturday and was brought to Norton Suburban Hospital in Louisville for treatment before he died. Mr. Coleman’s survivors include his wife, Etta, three children, a sister and several grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are incomplete, reports the Lexington Herald-Leader.

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