Martin Luther King Jr.’S Youngest Son Dexter Has Died At Age 62

Dexter Scott King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s youngest son, has died, according to announcements from his family and the King Centre.

The King Centre confirmed in a statement that the 62-year-old civil rights activist died Monday from prostate cancer.

The third child of Dr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King has been married to Leah Weber King since 2013.

Martin Luther King Jr.’S Youngest Son Dexter Has Died At Age 62

According to a statement from the King Centre, “He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu.” She continued, “He gave it his all and fought this awful cancer to the death. As with all of his life’s trials, he faced this one with courage and force.”

Martin Luther King III, Dexter’s older brother, stated: “I am profoundly saddened to share that my brother, Dexter Scott King, has gone away. The unexpected shock is severe. It’s difficult to find the correct words at this moment. Please remember the entire King family, especially Dexter’s wife, Leah Weber, in your prayers.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton expressed his sadness at Dexter King’s departure from the world this morning, but he took solace in the knowledge that he had joined his parents and sister.

Coretta Scott King, Dexter’s mother, died in 2006. His sister, Yolanda Denise King, died in 2007.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens also extended his sympathy to Dexter’s family. “His profound and unwavering love for his family positioned him as a guardian of his father and mother’s legacies,” the mayor said of Dexter in a statement.

Martin Luther King Jr.’S Youngest Son Dexter Has Died At Age 62

“Dexter held several titles, including Morehouse Man, humanitarian, civil rights campaigner, and even actor. Above all, he was a loving family man,” he explained.

Dexter, a Morehouse College alumnus, served as chairman of The King Centre for Nonviolent Social Change, a nonprofit founded by Coretta Scott King following her husband’s assassination and president of the King Estate, according to King Centre spokespeople.

Dexter had no children.

Dexter was just seven years old when his father was slain. He told CNN he was watching TV with his older brother when a news flash came on, stating his father had been shot in Memphis.

“It was a very chaotic and traumatic period,” he told me.

Dexter previously told CNN that sharing his revolutionary father’s name may be both a blessing and a curse.

After his father was killed, several people told young Dexter that they expected him to follow in his father’s footsteps, he claimed in 2003.

“People would say, ‘I want you to be just like your father,’ or ‘You should be a minister,'” he told me.

Martin Luther King Jr.’S Youngest Son Dexter Has Died At Age 62

Dexter’s career has been entwined with his father’s legacy, with him co-writing a book, “Growing Up King: An Intimate Memoir,” and even playing his father in the 2002 film “The Rosa Parks Story.”

In addition to continuing his father’s civil rights efforts, Dexter was a lifelong vegan and animal rights activist. In a 1995 interview with The Vegetarian Times, he explained that his diet was an extension of his nonviolent views. “There is a connection between how you live your life and how you treat others,” he told the publication. “It starts with the individual.”

SOURCE – (CNN)