CHICAGO (AP) — The first African American to serve on the Illinois Supreme Court has died at 86.

A statement from the state’s high court says Charles E. Freeman died on Monday, though it didn’t specify a cause of death.

Current Chief Justice Anne M. Burke heralded Freeman as someone with a sharp legal mind who broke down barriers throughout his life.  She calls him a “trailblazer” who was also a “gentleman” who never had an unkind word to say about anyone.

Freeman was also the first African American to become chief justice on the court. He won election to the open seat in 1990 and retired in 2018.

Freeman is survived by his son, Kevin Freeman, two grandchildren an a brother in Virginia.