Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr., has died. The 78-year-old Mrs. King died at a wholistic hospital in Rosarito Beach, Mexico. Last spring, Coretta King was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, which causes the heart to quiver instead of beat regularly. The condition led to a major stroke and a minor heart attack on Aug. 16. She was trying to recover from the stroke, which impaired her right side and speech, at the time of her death.
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue ordered flags on all state buildings and grounds at half-staff in memory of Mrs. King. The flags will remain at half staff until sunset the night of her funeral.
"Coretta Scott King was one of the most influential civil rights leaders of our time," said Perdue. "Mrs. King was a gracious and kind woman whose calm, measured words rose above the din of political rhetoric. For decades, she proudly bore the torch of her husband's legacy. Now she has passed it on to a new generation to keep the dream alive. Mary and I mourn the passing of this dynamic leader."
During the battle to desegregate the South, Coretta Scott King walked alongside her husband. After he was assassinated in April 1968, she stepped out of his shadow and became an internationally respected advocate of justice, peace and human rights.
She worked tirelessly to spread her husband's message of fighting for equality through nonviolent struggle.
For More Information on Mrs. King, please visit the AJC.
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