OAN’s Elizabeth Volberding
4:52 PM – Monday, January 22, 2024
Dexter Scott King, Martin Luther King Jr.’s youngest son, has died at 62-years-old after fighting prostate cancer.
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According to statements from his family and the King Center, Dexter Scott King, the son of Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King Jr., passed away on Monday at 62.
Dexter’s wife, Leah Weber King, said in a statement that he passed away peacefully while resting.
“He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu,” Leah said in a statement from the King Center. “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.”
Additionally, Dexter’s older brother, Martin Luther King III, made a statement expressing his condolences.
“I am deeply saddened to share that my brother, Dexter Scott King, has passed away. The sudden shock is devastating,” he said. “It is hard to have the right words at a moment like this. Please keep the entire King family in your prayers, and in particular Dexter’s wife, Leah Weber.”
During his life, Dexter was an activist and worked as a chairman of the King Center. He also served as the president of the King Estate, according to the King Center. Additionally, Dexter played an acting role where he impersonated his father in the biographical film The Rosa Parks Story.
The King Center advocates for promoting the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, supporting nonviolent social change and social justice.
Dexter’s sister, Bernice King, who is CEO of the King Center, expressed her deep sadness regarding her brother’s death.
“Words cannot express the heartbreak I feel from losing another sibling. I’m praying for strength to get through this very difficult time,” Bernice said.
The National Action Network’s president and founder, Rev. Al Sharpton, expressed his sorrow over King’s passing.
“I was heartbroken to hear that Dexter King left us this morning, but I was comforted by the knowledge he is reunited with his parents and sister,” Sharpton stated. “Dexter was only seven when his hero, his role model, and, most importantly, his father was taken from us. He turned that pain into activism, however, and dedicated his life to advancing the dream Martin and Coretta Scott King had for their children, their grandchildren, and all the generations to come after.”
Andre Dickens, the mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, expressed solidarity with his community and the global community in mourning the passing of Dexter.
“His profound and unwavering love for his family positioned him as a guardian of his father and mother’s legacies,” Dickens said.
Dickens added that Dexter held a number of titles, being an actor, humanitarian, civil rights activist, and graduate of Morehouse College.
“However, above all, he was a devoted family man,” said Dickens, who also expressed his condolences to Dexter’s various survivors.
The third of the King family’s four children, Dexter, was only 7-years-old in 1968 when his father was killed. MLK jr. was previously a pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, which is how Dexter got his name.
Yolanda King, the eldest child of the King family, passed away in 2007 after her mother Coretta Scott King passed away the year before in 2006.
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