Dexter Scott King, the son of civil rights leaders Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, passed away on Monday at the age of 62. He had been battling prostate cancer. The King Center in Atlanta, where Dexter served as chairman, announced that he died peacefully in his home in Malibu, California. His wife, Leah Weber King, confirmed this in a statement.
Dexter King was the third of the King’s four children and was named after the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, where his father served as a pastor. Dexter was only 7 years old when his father was tragically assassinated in 1968 while supporting striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee. Despite the immense pain he endured from losing his father at such a young age, Dexter turned his grief into activism and dedicated his life to advancing his parents’ dream for their children and others.
In his 2004 memoir, “Growing Up King,” Dexter described the profound impact his father’s death had on his childhood and the rest of his life. He expressed the difficulty of maintaining formality, seriousness, and certitude, even in the face of life’s challenges. As an adult, Dexter bore a striking resemblance to his famous father and even portrayed him in a 2002 TV movie about Rosa Parks, starring Angela Bassett.
Dexter King pursued a career as an attorney and worked diligently to protect his family’s intellectual property. Besides his role as chairman of the King Center, he also served as president of the King estate. However, there were disagreements among Dexter and his siblings regarding how to uphold their parents’ legacy. In 2014, Dexter and his brother sought to sell their father’s Nobel Peace Prize, awarded in 1964, along with the civil rights leader’s traveling Bible used by President Barack Obama for his second inauguration. Their sister, Bernice King, found this notion unthinkable, leading to a bitter dispute that eventually went to court. Former President Jimmy Carter mediated the settlement in 2016, resulting in the items being turned over to the brothers while keeping other terms confidential.
The King family has experienced significant losses in recent years, with Coretta Scott King passing away in 2006 and their oldest child, Yolanda King, in 2007. The Rev. Bernice A. King, the youngest of the four siblings, expressed her heartbreak over losing another sibling, while Martin Luther King III described the sudden shock as devastating. The entire King family is in need of prayers during this difficult time.
A memorial service for Dexter Scott King will be announced at a later date, according to the King Center. The family has also planned a news conference in Atlanta to address the tragic loss..
