NFL great and civil rights activist Jim Brown dies aged 87

Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown, an unstoppable running back who retired at the peak of his brilliant career to become an actor as well as a prominent civil rights advocate during the 1960s, has died. He was 87.

A spokeswoman for Brown’s family said he passed away peacefully in his Los Angeles home on Thursday night with his wife, Monique, by his side.“To the world, he was an activist, actor, and football star,” Monique Brown wrote in an Instagram post on Friday. “To our family, he was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. Our hearts are broken.”

One of football’s first superstars, Brown was chosen as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1965 and shattered the league’s record books in a short career spanning 1957-65.

Brown led the Cleveland Browns to their last NFL title in 1964 before retiring in his prime after the ’65 season to become an actor. He appeared in more than 30 films, including Any Given Sunday and The Dirty Dozen.

A powerful runner with speed and endurance, Brown’s arrival sparked the game’s burgeoning popularity on television.

As Black Americans fought for equality, Brown used his platform and voice to advance their cause.

“I hope every Black athlete takes the time to educate themselves about this incredible man and what he did to change all of our lives,” NBA star LeBron James said. “We all stand on your shoulders, Jim Brown.”

In June 1967, Brown organised The Cleveland Summit, a meeting of the nation’s top Black athletes, including Bill Russell and Lew Alcindor, who later became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to support boxer Muhammad Ali’s fight against serving in Vietnam.

In later years, he worked to curb gang violence in LA and in 1988 founded Amer-I-Can, a programme to help disadvantaged inner-city youth and ex-convicts.On the field, some feel there has never been anyone better than Cleveland’s incomparable No 32. At 6-foot-2-inches (189cm), 230 pounds (104 kg), he was relentless, fighting for every yard, dragging multiple defenders along or finding holes where none seemed to exist.Brown was an eight-time All-Pro and went to the Pro Bowl in each of his nine years in the league. When Brown walked away from the game at age 30, he held the league’s records for yards (12,312) and touchdowns (126).

And despite his bruising style, Browns never missed a game, playing in 118 straight.