(BrightPress.org) – Dexter Scott King has died from prostate cancer at age 62. King was known for his resemblance to his father, iconic civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. He died on Sunday, January 21st at home with his family.
Leah Weber King, his wife, published a statement via the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in which he said he died overnight while sleeping at home in Malibu, CA. She said that he struggled and fought the disease for a long time and did so with the same “bravery and might” that he brought to all life’s challenges.
Rev. Bernice King, Dexter’s sister, and the youngest of MLK’s kids, said that she was heartbroken beyond words and that she was praying for strength.
Martin Luther King III shared a black-and-white picture of their family on X (Twitter) and said he was “deeply saddened” by his brother’s death. He said that his passing was a shock and called it devastating. He said it was difficult to find the right words to express himself, and asked for prayers for the King family and specifically Dexter’s wife, Leah.
Dexter King was a graduate of Morehouse College and became the chairman of the King Center. He focused on defending King’s intellectual property in that role. He also managed the King Estate as its president, according to a statement from the King Center.
Dexter King had previously published a memoir in 2003 entitled “Growing Up King” wherein he discussed the difficulties of growing up in a famous family. The memoir also discussed his father’s assassination and the impact it had on him and his family. Dexter King was just seven years old when his father was killed.
Dexter King visited his father’s convicted killer, James Earl Ray in 1997. During the visit, Ray maintained that he wasn’t responsible for killing MLK and Dexter said he believed him.
Dexter King is the latest member of the famed family to die. His mother, Coretta Scott King died in 2006 and his sister Yolanda King died in 2007.
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