Dexter Scott King, the son of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has died at age 62.
According to reports, King died after a private battle with prostate cancer and The King Center made the sad announcement on Monday. They also mentioned that his wife, Leah Weber King, was by his side when he passed.
“He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu,” she said. It is not known when King was diagnosed with the disease, however, he is the second of the King children to have passed on. In 2007, Yolanda King passed away due to complications of ovarian cancer.
He is survived by his two siblings, Martin Luther King III, the eldest, and Bernice King, the youngest of the four children. After his father’s assassination in 1968, Dexter Scott King continued to keep his father’s legacy alive and has been known for addressing James Earl Ray, the man convicted of killing Dr. King, and asking him if he killed his father. Ray’s answer was no.
Dexter also portrayed his father in the 2002 TV movie “The Rosa Parks Story,” starring Angela Bassett.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the King family during this time.