Nashville, Tennessee, city leaders are mourning the death of a 49-year-old Nashville pastor widely known for helping lead at-risk teens and former gang members away from a life of crime. According to his family, Bishop Marcus Campbell, pastor of The Church at Mt. Carmel in North Nashville, suffered from a heart condition that required him to get a new heart. He died after spending much time in the hospital for several months.

Campbell also founded a nonprofit program called Gentleman and Not Gangsters (GANG), which partnered with the court system to help troubled youth. As a teen growing up down the street from the church he eventually pastored, Campbell was arrested for selling drugs and spent time in prison. Nashville Mayor John Cooper tweeted, “I am deeply saddened to hear of Bishop Campbell’s passing. Bishop was an unwavering source of light, love, and leadership for the Nashville community. He touched countless lives, inspiring us all to be better and work for the greater good. His legacy will not be forgotten.”

Davidson County Register of Deeds Karen Johnson said Campbell’s death will be “very hard” because the “city has lost a true impact servant leader.” Johnson tweeted, “Bishop Campbell touched so many youths through his G.A.N.G. outreach initiatives, the homeless and anyone who needed a helping hand. As a faith leader and friend, he will truly be missed. His legacy is great, and I join Nashville in mourning this great loss to our city.”

Campbell’s wife, Stacy, told WKRN that her husband suffered from cardiomyopathy, which impacts the heart muscle and makes it more difficult for the blood to pump blood through the body. She said, “Everyone knew about my husband’s heart, but I never thought it would get to this point.” As a teenager, Campbell dealt drugs and served four years in prison, according to a 2016 profile published by The Tennessean titled “Dealer-turned-minister makes saving Nashville’s youth his mission.”

After leaving prison, Campbell had a near-death experience in 1997 because he ingested too many drugs. “You know, people say they see this bright light, this light at the end of the tunnel, but all I saw was dark, and it was hot,” he said. “I guess I was going to hell. I knew then that my time was up, and I had to change. It was my Independence Day.”

In 2008, after receiving his ordination, the Campbells launched the GANG program, which partners with the Nashville juvenile court system to offer a 12-week diversion program to help at-risk youths and former gang members involved in the Gang Resistance Intervention and Prevention program.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Campbell arranged a makeshift classroom at the church for children to attend school virtually and provided breakfast and lunch every day for dozens of children, according to a GoFundMe campaign that raised $45,000 to support the Campbell family during the pandemic.

According to the campaign, Campbell had not taken a salary from the church in three years due to limited funds. Please keep the Campbell family in your prayers during this challenging time.