Martin Luther King Jr.'s Son Dexter Scott Dead at 62 After 'Valiant Battle With Prostate Cancer'
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s youngest son passed away this week at the age of 62.
Jan. 22 2024, Published 2:34 p.m. ET
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s youngest son died this week at the age of 62, RadarOnline.com can report.
In a sudden and heartbreaking development to come one week after this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Dexter Scott King passed away at 62 in California.
Dexter Scott King passed away at 62 in California after a "valiant battle with prostate cancer."
According to the King Center, Dexter died peacefully at his home in Malibu on Monday morning following a “valiant battle with prostate cancer.”
"[Dexter Scott King] was the family member delegated to take on the mantle of continuing the precedent his father set by legally protecting his work,” the King Center said in a statement on Monday afternoon.
“He devoted his life to the continued perpetuation of his father’s legacy and the protection of the intellectual property his father left behind,” the center continued. “At the time of his death, 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."
"I am deeply saddened to share that my brother, Dexter Scott King, has passed away,” Martin Luther King III wrote.
Martin Luther King III further confirmed his brother’s passing in a statement of his own.
"I am deeply saddened to share that my brother, Dexter Scott King, has passed away,” Martin Luther King Jr.’s eldest son wrote. “The sudden shock is devastating.”
“It is hard to have the right words at a moment like this,” Dexter’s brother continued. “Please keep the entire King family in your prayers, and in particular Dexter's wife, Leah Weber.”
According to the King Center, Dexter was the youngest son and third child of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.
Dexter was the youngest son and third child of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.
Dexter was born on January 30, 1961 in Atlanta, Georgia, and he was only seven years old when his father was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968.
He was reportedly named after the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church – a church in Montgomery, Alabama where his father served his first pastorate.
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Dexter’s widow, Leah Weber King, also released a statement and confirmed that her husband “transitioned peacefully in his sleep” at their home in California on Monday morning.
"He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu,” she wrote. "He gave it everything and battled this terrible disease until the end.”
Dexter was born on January 30, 1961 in Atlanta, Georgia, and he was only seven years old when his father was assassinated in April 1968.
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“As with all the challenges in his life, he faced this hurdle with bravery and might,” Leah Weber King added.
R.I.P. Dexter Scott King.
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