Dexter Scott King, Martin Luther King Jr.’s youngest son, passed away on January 22, 2024, CNN reported. He was 62.
In a statement, The King Center opened that prostate cancer led to Dexter’s death. King’s wife, Leah Weber King, shared, “He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at house with me in Malibu. He gave it everything and faught this terrible disease until the end. As with all the challenges in his life, he experienced this hurdle with bravery and might.”
During his father’s death, Dexter was only seven years old. He later remembered in his memoir “Growing Up King” how the assassination affected him.
“Ever since I was 7, I’ve felt I must be formal. Formality, seriousness, certitude — all these are difficult poses to maintain, even if you’re a person with perfect equilibrium, with all the drama life throws at you,” he wrote. Although he loved the arts and desired to become an actor, Dexter spent his life working to uphold his dad’s legacy until his passing.
It must have been difficult living up to Martin Luther King Jr.’s name, but Dexter Scott King bore the weight well. In 2003, he told CNN, “People would say, ‘I want you to be just like your dad,’ or ‘You should be a minister.”
Rather than preach to the masses, Dexter’s journey in life was to bring awareness to his father’s teachings by opening up The King Center in Atlanta Georgia. “We continue to teach the world about his teachings of nonviolence. We want [MLK’s teachings] to be intact for generations yet unborn,” he told.
As a lawyer, Dexter used his knowledge to maintain his father’s intellectual property via The King Center. “He was the family member delegated to take on the mantle of continuing the precedent his father set by legally securing his work,” the organization said in a statement, per NBC News.
Along with his wife, Leah Weber King, Dexter is survived by his sister, Reverend Dr. Bernice King, and his brother, Martin Luther King, III. “Words cannot describe the heart break I feel from losing another sibling,” Dr. Bernice told, per PBS. Martin added, “The random shock is devastating. It is difficult to have the right words at a moment like this. We ask for your prayers at this time for the whole King family.”