Former Black Panther Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt died Thursday in Tanzania, reports CNN.

He was 63.

Pratt spent 27 years of his life in prison for a murder that he said he did not commit. He was convicted of the 1968 murder of Caroline Olsen. He was freed in 1997, after a judged overturned the conviction and ruled that prosecutors had concealed evidence.

After his release, Pratt told CNN he held no bitterness about the many years he spent behind bars.

"I don't think bitterness has a place. I'm more understanding," he said in a 1999 interview. "Understanding doesn't leave any room for bitterness or anger."

His death was announced by his former lawyer Stuart Hanlon, who helped him in the trial. Hanlon said he did not know the exact cause of death, according to CNN.

Reports say Pratt died in a small village in Tanzania where he lived with his wife and child, Hanlon said.

"His legacy is that he never gave up. He never got despondent or angry," said Hanlon.

Read more at CNN.com

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