MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- A Memphis pastor who was the last surviving sanitation worker whose strike brought Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis in 1968 is dead. Family and friends say that Reverend Cleophus Smith passed away on Sunday. He was 82. Reverend Smith became a sanitation worker in 1967. He and about 1,300 men began their 65-day strike in February of 1968 demanding better pay and conditions after two of their co-workers died on the job. Their peaceful demonstrations led to clashes with Memphis Police prompting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to come to Memphis in solidarity with the sanitation workers. But his visit would be a fateful one. Civil rights leader James Lawson, organizer of 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike, dies at 95 Dr. King was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. The striking sanitation workers would eventually secure new wages, showers at work and dignity. Years later, Reverend Smith was still fighting for workers. In 2021, he was standing on another picket line, showing his unwavering support for striking workers at the Kellogg's plant. "If we made it happen in 1968, we can do it again today," Reverend Smith said. Cleophus Smith participating in Kellogg's strike in 2021. At the strike, Smith wore an "I Am A Man" t-shirt as striking Kellogg's workers held signs with those words made famous during the sanitation workers strike of the 1960s. "We have to be like the stamp and the envelope," Reverend Smith said. "We have to stick together." Smith also went on to become an associate minister of his congregation at Eternal Peace Missionary Baptist Church. Memphis Kellogg’s workers go on strike His ministry always included fighting for the rights of workers. "The stamp can't go nowhere without the envelope," Reverend Smith said. "And the envelope can't go nowhere without the stamp. We have to stick together." In a statement, Memphis Mayor Paul Young said the following about Reverend Smith's impact: "Our hearts are heavy for the family of Cleophus Smith. His brave actions helped to change the way the City of Memphis treated its employees, as well as influencing workplaces across the world. "