Martin Luther King Jr’s Youngest Son Dexter Dies

The youngest son of Martin Luther King Jr. has passed away.

Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of the Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., died on Monday at the age of 62.

According to King’s family, Dexter passed away after battling prostate cancer.

Dexter’s wife, Leah Weber King, shared in a statement, “He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu. 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.”

ATLANTA (AP) — Dexter Scott King, youngest son of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, has died of cancer, King Center says. pic.twitter.com/6DF9vdRr66

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) January 22, 2024

Statement from The King Center on the passing of Dexter Scott King: https://t.co/VWbIPxO5a1 pic.twitter.com/tTpoxjT8RK

— The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center (@TheKingCenter) January 22, 2024

Per CNN:

Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has died, according to statements from his family and the King Center.

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The King Center confirmed in a statement the 62-year-old civil rights activist died Monday after a battle with prostate cancer.

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

Weber King said in a statement from the King Center, “He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu.” She added, “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’s older brother Martin Luther King III said in a statement, “I am deeply saddened to share that my brother, Dexter Scott King, has passed away. 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.”

TV One is saddened to share that Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of Martin Luther King Jr., has died of prostate cancer. Rest in Power. 🙏🏾🕊️ pic.twitter.com/6xtqAUXdpU

— TV One (@tvonetv) January 22, 2024

Here’s what BET reported:

Dexter King, the youngest son of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and Coretta Scott King, has died after a battle with prostate cancer, The King Center announced on Monday (Jan. 22). King, 62, passed away at his home in California, according to reports.“

He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu,” said wife, Leah Weber King, WSB reported. “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.”

The third of King’s four children, he was named after Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, where his father was pastor in the 1950s and where much of the modern Civil Rights Movement was launched. He was only seven years old when his father was assassinated April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tenn.

After following his father’s footsteps to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta, he went on to be an attorney and continued with his mother and siblings to push forward his father’s message of human rights.

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