Tributes flow for civil rights icon John Lewis

Apple CEO Tim Cook called John Lewis an "American hero" in a tweet mourning his passing.

"John Lewis guided us toward a more righteous world. He marched in Selma, he marched on Washington—he marched for us all. His life's work shaped our history and his legacy inspires us to continue the march for racial equity and justice."

Martin Luther King III, the oldest son of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, tweeted tonight on the passing of John Lewis:

Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., in the Capitol on December 3, 2019. Tom Williams/AP

The family of John Lewis has issued a statement on his passing:

Bernice King (L), daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., stands next to Rep. John Lewis as he wipes away tears before breaking ground for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial on November 13, 2006 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter Bernice King mourned the passing of US Congressman John Lewis, writing on Twitter: “You did, indeed, fight the good fight and get into a lot of good trouble."

"You served God and humanity well," she posted. "Thank you. Take your rest."

Ted Cruz, US Senator for Texas, has posted a tribute to John Lewis on Twitter.

"Tonight, the world grieves for the great John Lewis. In my 1st yr in the Senate, I had the privilege of traveling w/ John & much of the Congressional Black Caucus to Nelson Mandela’s funeral. The entire trip to Johannesburg, John regaled us w/ stories of being alongside Dr. King."

Barack Obama presented John Lewis with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honor, in February 2011.

The civil rights icon described the honor as “unreal.”

"Generations from now, when parents teach their children what is meant by courage, the story of John Lewis will come to mind,” Obama said. “An American who knew that change could not wait for some other person or some other time; whose life is a lesson in the fierce urgency of now.”

Asked what it was like to receive such an award from the first African American president, Lewis said he felt blessed.

John Lewis became involved in the Civil Rights movement at 15 years old.

"I heard the words of Martin Luther King Jr. on our radio and I heard about Rosa Parks" he said in 2014. "It seemed like Martin Luther King Jr. was speaking directly to me, saying John Lewis, you too can do something. You can make a contribution."

He began organizing sit-ins at segregated lunch counters in the Nashville area in college while studying at Fisk University.

Lewis then participated in the Freedom Rides in 1961, protesting segregation at interstate bus terminals by sitting in seats reserved for white customers.

At 25, Lewis marched with King from Selma to Montgomery, and was on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday, where he was beaten by police and knocked unconscious.

Fifty years later, at an event to commemorate the incident, he spoke before President Barack Obama on the bridge, just feet away from where he was nearly killed.

"We must use this moment to recommit ourselves to do all we can to finish the work -- there's still work left to be done," he said.

John Lewis represented Georgia's 5th Congressional District, which includes much of Atlanta, since first being elected in 1986.

A leader of a civil rights group called the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, he was one of the participants in the key 1965 civil rights protest pushing for voting rights from Selma to Alabama's capital, Montgomery. Lewis — who had his skull broken by white police officers during the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma — was, by his own count, arrested more than 40 times during his days of civil rights activism.

In recent years, Lewis has drawn headlines for stirring up what he calls "good trouble" for his vocal opposition to Donald Trump — including voting to impeach the President.

In July, he offered a forceful rebuke of Trump's racist tweets against four Democratic congresswomen of color.

"I know racism when I see it. I know racism when I feel it. And at the highest level of government, there's no room for racism," he said.

"It sows the seeds of violence and destroys the hopes and dreams of people. The world is watching. They are shocked and dismayed because it seems we have lost our way as a nation, as a proud and great people."

Civil rights icon and US Democratic Rep. John Lewis announced in December 2019 he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer following a routine medical visit with subsequent tests that reconfirmed the diagnosis.

He continued later: "While I am clear-eyed about the prognosis, doctors have told me that recent medical advances have made this type of cancer treatable in many cases, that treatment options are no longer as debilitating as they once were, and that I have a fighting chance."

Pancreatic cancer was the third-leading cause of death from cancer in the United States in 2018, after lung and colorectal cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute. The cancer, on average and across all stages, has a five-year survival rate of 9%, according to the American Cancer Society.

But Lewis vowed to continue his work in Congress.