Dexter Scott King, Youngest Son of MLK, Dies of Prostate Cancer

Dexter Scott King

According to news reports, Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of Coretta and Martin Luther King Jr., died Monday (Jan. 22), after what the family said was a “valiant battle with prostate cancer.”

“He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu,” said his wife of 11 years, Leah Weber King. “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 was 62.

Aside from running the family’s business affairs, Dexter King’s life and career also became part of his family’s legacy. In 2002, because of the strong resemblance, he played his father in the 2002 film, “The Rosa Parks Story.”

A year later, he published his memoir, “Growing Up King: An Intimate Memoir.” Bernice King, the youngest of the King children, said “Words cannot express the heartbreak,” of losing a sibling. She runs the nonprofit King Center in Atlanta. “I’m praying for strength to get through this very difficult time,” she said.