US comedian, activist Dick Gregory dead at 84

US comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory, who broke barriers as a performer in the era of segregation and challenged racism through searing humor, died Saturday night, his family said. He was 84.

In a Facebook post, Christian Gregory did not give the cause of death but said his father started feeling ill on August 9, and was admitted to a hospital on August 12.

 He died in Washington. "A life well-lived but heavily sacrificed, has definitively taken its toll," the son said. More details were to be released in the coming days.