Rev. will Campbell dead: Minister of Maverick and civil rights leader dies at 88 (VIDEO)

Rev. Will Campbell died on June 3 of complications after a stroke that had about two years ago. He was 88.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - the Rev. Will Campbell, a white Minister who drew praise for his involvement in the civil rights movement, died at the age of 88.

John Egerton, a close friend of Campbell almost 50 years, told The Associated Press Tuesday that Campbell died on Monday night of complications after a stroke had about two years ago. Egerton said he was contacted by the son of Campbell, who was at the head of the Minister in Nashville when he died.

"Really never recovered from it", said Egerton of the stroke.

The Tennessean quoted former President Jimmy Carter as saying Campbell, "used the power of his words and the testimony of his works to convey a healing message of reconciliation to all." who heard

Campbell was born in 1924 in the Amite County, Miss.

After his tenure in the army, he attended Yale, where he earned a Bachelor of Divinity in 1952 and then turned to Taylor, Louisiana, to preach at the Baptist Church of South Taylor.

Later came to Nashville, where he was described as a firm leader for civil rights and was very respected by others in the movement.

Campbell was the representative of one operation called baffled the National Council of churches in Nashville. Because he was white, was allowed to enter rooms inaccessible by some of the people at the forefront of the movement.

"When we had the sit-ins, will appear," Bernard Lafayette, a leader of the civil rights in Nashville and close friend of Campbell, told The Tennessean.

"We knew that there was someone who cared and was concerned by what happened with us. It was to remind us that there were some white people who believed in what we were doing."

Although he supports integration, Campbell preached to those against it.

"I always say that the will became the chaplain of civil rights for the Ku Klux Klan," Lafayette said.

Campbell was known to say: "If you're going to love one, gotta love em all."

A memorial service for Campbell is scheduled for later this month in Nashville.

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Information: The Tennessean, http://www.tennessean.com

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