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Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., died Monday from prostate cancer, according to The King Center.
He was 62 years old.
Dexter King served as chairman of The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, known as The King Center, and president of the King estate.
“He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu,” his wife, Leah Weber King, said in a statement. “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.”
He and his wife were married in July 2013.
“The sudden shock is devastating,” his brother, Martin Luther King III, said in a statement. “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.”
His sister Bernice King, who is the CEO of The King Center, said in a statement: “Words cannot express the heart break I feel from losing another sibling. I’m praying for strength to get through this very difficult time.”
The youngest child of Martin Luther King Jr., Dexter was 7 years old when his father was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968.
He would go on to attend his famous father’s alma mater, Morehouse College.
Dexter King played his father in a small role in the 2002 CBS movie The Rosa Parks Story, with Angela Bassett in the title role.
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