Dexter Scott King, a son of late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has died. He was 62.
On Monday, Dexter Scott King, who was the youngest son of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died after a “valiant battle with prostate cancer,” according to the King Center in a news release.
“‘He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu’, says his best friend of 21 years, his strongest supporter and wife of 11 years, Leah Weber King,” according to the statement.
Additionally, Dexter Scott King’s wife revealed that he “gave it everything and battled this terrible disease until the end. As with all the challenges in his life, he faced this hurdle with bravery and might.”
Dexter Scott King’s younger sister, Bernice King, 60, who is the CEO of the King Center, also released a statement following his death.
“Words cannot express the heart break (sic) I feel from losing another sibling. I’m praying for strength to get through this very difficult time,” she shared.
His brother, Martin Luther King, III, 66, said, “The sudden shock is devastating. It is hard to have the right words at a moment like this. We ask for your prayers at this time for the entire King family.”
The news release continued:
“The son of the Civil Rights icons was the family member delegated to take on the mantel of continuing the precedent his father set by legally protecting his work. He devoted his life to the continued perpetuation of his father’s legacy and the protection of the intellectual property (IP) his father left behind. At the time of his death (sic) Dexter served as both Chairman of The King Center and President of the King Estate. Becoming well versed in intellectual property law, and its management and licensing was the result of his dedication to the delegated task and the memory of both his father and mother.”
According to People, Yolanda Denise King, the oldest sibling, died in 2007.
According to Britannica, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while standing on the second-floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was 39 years old.
Dexter Scott King was only 7 years old at the time of his father’s murder, per the news release.