Vernon Jordan, civil rights activist and former advisor to President Clinton, has died

ATLANTA (AP) — According to a statement from his daughter, Vernon Jordan, a civil rights activist and former adviser to President Bill Clinton, has died.

Jordan’s daughter, Vickee Jordan Adams, released the statement Tuesday to CBS News. She said her father died around 10 p.m. Monday night surrounded by loved ones.

After stints as field secretary for the Georgia NAACP and executive director of the United Negro College Fund, he became head of the National Urban League, becoming the face of Black America’s modern struggle for jobs and justice for more than a decade.

He was nearly killed by a racist’s bullet in 1980 before transitioning to business and politics.

His friendship with Clinton took them both to the White House.