Florida civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due has died after a two-year fight with cancer. She was 72.

Her family says Due passed away Tuesday at an Atlanta hospital.

While attending Florida A&M in Tallahassee, Due was part of a group of black students arrested in February 1960 for sitting at a whites-only lunch counter. Due and several others refused to pay their fines, spending 49 days in jail. It was considered the civil rights movement's first jail-in, which became a powerful tactic in the following years.

Due went on to lead rallies and protests throughout Florida and other parts of the country.

Due is survived by her husband John Due Jr., three children and five grandchildren.

A memorial service is being planned at FAMU, where Due received a bachelor's degree in 1965 and an honorary doctorate in 2006.