Martin Luther King Jr's Younger Son And Activist Dexter Scott King Dies At 62

The King Center in Atlanta on Tuesday announced that the younger son of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr and Coretta Scott King succumbed to prostate cancer on Monday. As per news agency Reuters, wife of the late 62-year-old Dexter Scott King Leah Weber King informed that he had passed away in his sleep at his home in Malibu, California.

Reuters quoted her as saying, “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 King was born in Atlanta on January 30, 1961, and was just seven years old when his father was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968. He was named after Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Albama, where Martin Luther served his first pastorate.

Reverend Bernice A King, CEO of King Center, expressed his grief over Dexter’s demise in a statement. He said, “Words cannot express the heartbreak I feel from losing another sibling.” The reverend further added, “I’m praying for strength to get through this very difficult time.”

Reverend AI Sharpton, founder and president of National Action Network, a civil rights organization, shared that he was “heartbroken” to hear of Dexter King’s death, Reuters reported. Sharpoton, in a statement quoted by Reuters said, “Dexter was only seven when his hero, his role model, and, most importantly, his father was taken from us.”

He further shared, “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.”

Dexter followed in his father’s footsteps and went on to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta. He was also the chairman of the King Centre and served as the president of the King Estate.

Dexter was also an actor and portrayed his father in the 2002 television movie ‘The Rosa Parks Story’.

After losing his father in 1968, he lost his mother in 2006 and his sister Yolanda, who passed away in 2007. Dexter is survived by his wife of 11 years, Leah Weber King, his brother Martin Luther King III, and his niece Yolanda Renee King, among other family members.