Dexter Scott King, the youngest son and third child of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died on Monday due to prostate cancer, according to a statement released by the King Center.
“He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu,” said Leah Weber King, 62, the deceased’s wife. “He gave his all and fought this dreadful disease to the end. As with all of his life’s trials, he faced this one with courage and force.”
Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King, Dexter’s sister, expressed her heartbreak about losing another sibling. I’m hoping for strength to get through this extremely difficult period.
“I am deeply saddened to share that my brother, Dexter Scott King, has passed away,” the deceased Civil Rights activist’s brother, Martin Luther King III, added in a statement. “The sudden shock is devastating. 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.”
Dexter was only 7 when his father was slain in Memphis in 1968. In a prior interview with CNN, he stated that he learnt of the incident while watching TV with his brother. “It was a very chaotic and traumatic period,” he explained.
Dexter’s death comes following the deaths of his mother and sister, Yolanda Denise King.Coretta went away in 2006, and Yolanda died the following year. He is survived by his wife, “his sister Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King, his brother Martin Luther King, III, his niece, Yolanda Renee King, and a host of immediate and extended family members,” according to the statement.
The slain Civil Rights leader was a Morehouse College alumnus and the chairman of The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Dexter’s mother founded the non-profit organization after her husband was assassinated. Dexter was also president of the King Estate. He held both roles when he died.
“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,” the statement said. “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.”
Dexter is well known for playing his father in the 2002 film “The Rosa Parks Story.” In addition to Civil Rights work, Dexter was a vegan and strong supporter of animal rights. During a 1995 interview with The Vegetarian Times, he compared his peaceful ideals to his eating habits.
“There is a connection between how you live life and how you treat others,” he said at the time. “It starts with the individual.”