Dexter Scott King Dies: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Son and King Center Chairman Was 62

Dexter King at the Ceremony honoring Mike Curb with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Vine St, Hollywood, CA. 06-29-07. (Credit: Shutterstock)

Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died Monday after battling prostate cancer, according to family members. He was 62.

“He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu,” Dexter’s wife, Leah Weber King, said in a statement to Atlanta news station WSB-TV. “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.”

Rev. Bernice A. King, Dexter’s younger sister, said in a statement: “Words cannot express the heart break I feel from losing another sibling.”

“The sudden shock is devastating,” his brother, Martin Luther King III, added. “It is hard to have the right words at a moment like this. We ask for your prayers at this time for the entire King family.”

Also Read: Richard Roundtree Dies: Iconic ‘Shaft’ Star Was 81

Dexter was one of the Kings’ four children. He was just 7 years old when his father was killed in 1968.

He grew up to become an attorney and focused on protecting his family’s legacy, by serving as chairman of The King Center in Atlanta and president of the King estate.

His mother, Coretta Scott King, died in 2006. Yolanda King, the Kings’ oldest child, died in 2007.


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