Clint Hill, the former Secret Service agent known for his extraordinary action during the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, passed away on Friday at his home in Belvedere, California. He was 93 years old. Hill’s remarkable bravery was highlighted when he jumped onto the president’s limousine during the tragic shooting in Dallas, helping to secure Jacqueline Kennedy and prevent her from falling.

Jennifer Robinson, Hill’s publicist, confirmed his passing on Monday.

One of the most iconic images from the Kennedy assassination features Hill, dressed in a suit, gripping the trunk of the limousine as Jacqueline Kennedy, dressed in her signature pink attire and pillbox hat, climbs onto the vehicle’s rear. Hill’s protective instincts kicked in as he pushed Mrs. Kennedy back into her seat next to her critically injured husband.

David F. Powers, a close aide to President Kennedy who was traveling in the backup Secret Service car, later stated in front of the Warren Commission, which investigated the assassination, that “I think Special Agent Clint Hill saved her life.” He added that without Hill’s intervention, Mrs. Kennedy likely would have fallen and been struck by the vehicles following the presidential motorcade.

Just thirteen days following the tragic event, Clint Hill was honored for his extraordinary bravery at a ceremony attended by Jacqueline Kennedy. He received the highest accolade awarded by the Treasury Department — the agency overseeing the Secret Service at that time — in recognition of his “extraordinary courage and heroic effort in the face of maximum danger.”

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