One of the last three known survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Hughes “Uncle Redd” Van Ellis, has died, CBS News reports. He was 102.

According to a statement from the family shared by Oklahoma Rep. Regina Goodwin, Ellis passed away Monday (Oct. 9) evening in Denver, Colo.

Ellis’ daughter, Muriel Ellis Watson, said he died from complications of cancer, The Wall Street Journal reports.

“Two days ago, Mr. Ellis urged us to keep fighting for justice," Goodwin said in a statement. "In the midst of his death, there remains an undying sense of right and wrong. Mr. Ellis was assured we would remain steadfast and we repeated to him, his own words, 'We Are One' and we lastly expressed our love."

“He died waiting on justice," Ike Howard, Ellis’ grandnephew, told CNN.

Damario Solomon-Simmons, the founder of Justice For Greenwood, who filed the lawsuit for reparations against the city of Tulsa, paid tribute to Van Ellis in an official statement sent to BET.com.

“I’ll remember each time that Uncle Redd’s passionate voice reached hearts and minds in courtrooms, halls of Congress, and interviews,” Solomon-Simmons wrote. “Most of all, I’ll forever cherish the time we spent together behind the scenes. He was much more than a client. He was a partner in the quest for justice and reparations. He was a source of inspiration and strength during times of doubt and despair. He was family and I loved him. His presence will be sorely missed.”

When the massacre happened, Ellis was only months old when he and Violet Fletcher,  his older sister, escaped with their family from the Greenwood District of Tulsa with their family, as a violent racist white mob destroyed the thriving Black metropolis also known as “Black Wall Street.” In the aftermath of one of the worst acts of racial violence ever committed on American soil, hundreds of Black residents were killed, and their homes and businesses burned to the ground, according to the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum.

In September, 59 graves and seven sets of remains were exhumed by investigators that possibly matched descriptions of the massacre victim in newspaper obituaries and other public records from that time.

The bodies, which were discovered in wooden boxes, are currently being tested for DNA to see if they match the victims of the massacre.

Ellis, along with his sister Violet, 109, and Lessie Benningfield Randle, 108, were the last known survivors of the race riot, and they’ve been fighting in the courts with the city of Tulsa for years, seeking reparations for the unimaginable destruction to their community. The suit argued for damages under Oklahoma’s public nuisance law and sought compensation “for unjust enrichment” that others gained from the massacre.

In July, Tulsa County District Judge Caroline Wall dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning that the plaintiffs are barred from bringing the suit back to court. But the Oklahoma Supreme Court, one month later, said it would consider the reparations case to determine if the lower court made a mistake.

“For 102 years... they’ve been waiting. They’ve been waiting, just like every other victim and survivor of the massacre, for just an opportunity to have their day in court,” Solomon-Simmons said at the time.

Marking the centennial of the horrific terrorist attack, Ellis, a World War II veteran, testified on Capitol Hill and pleaded with Congress for justice in his advanced age.

"Please do not let me leave this earth without justice," Ellis said.