Legendary writer and civil rights activist George Curry died over the weekend.

He was 69.

According to NPR, Curry died of sudden heart failure Saturday.

Curry, who was born in Tuscaloosa, wrote a syndicated column that was carried in more than 200 African American-owned newspapers around the United States.

He also was a frequent guest on Black Entertainment Television and Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show.

Curry worked for newspapers like Sports Illustrated, The St. Louis Dispatch, and The Chicago Tribune during his decades-long career, according to CNN.

He served as editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine in the 1990s, and was recently working to re-launch the publication.

Sharpton tweeted, "I am saddened beyond words upon hearing of the death of George Curry, Publisher of Emerge Magazine. He was a giant and trailblazer. RIP."

Curry served as editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association for nine years.

Bernard Lafayette, a childhood friend of Curry and the current chairman of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, said to News Wire, "This is a tragic loss to the movement because George Curry was a journalist who paid special attention to civil rights because he lived it and loved it."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.