- On January 22, Dexter Scott King died at the age of 62.
- He had been battling prostate cancer and passed peacefully at home.
- Dexter was the youngest son of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and worked to uphold his legacy.
On Monday, January 22, Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., died, according to an announcement from the King Center. Dexter was just 62 when he died following a prolonged battle with prostate cancer.
Like his father, Dexter was a civil rights activist. He is predeceased by his father and his mother, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, along with his sister, Yolanda Denise King. He is survived by his wife of over ten years, Leah Weber.
A family and nation is grieving the passing of Dexter Scott King
The King Center has sadly just announced the passing of it’s Chairman, Dexter King. Dexter was the youngest son & the 3rd child of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr & Coretta Scott King.
My condolences to all of Dexter’s family & friends. May he RIP, may his legacy live🕊️
📸: Prabook pic.twitter.com/aLGS1JYQRa
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) January 22, 2024
In a statement, Dexter’s older brother, Martin Luther King III, said, “I am deeply saddened to share that my brother, Dexter Scott King, has passed away. The sudden shock is devastating. It is hard to have the right words at a moment like this. Please keep the entire King family in your prayers, and in particular Dexter’s wife, Leah Weber.”
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Weber informed Dexter’s supporters, “He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu,” adding, “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.”
The Reverend Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network, also mourned Dexter’s passing. “I was heartbroken to hear that Dexter King left us this morning,” said Sharpton, “but I was comforted by the knowledge he is reunited with his parents and sister.” Yolanda passed in 2007, just a year after Dexter’s mother, Coretta Scott, died.
He continued, “Dexter was only seven when his hero, his role model, and, most importantly, his father was taken from us. He turned that pain into activism, however, and dedicated his life to advancing the dream Martin and Coretta Scott King had for their children, their grandchildren, and all the generations to come after.”
The life and legacy of Dexter Scott King
Seven-year-old Dexter Scott King was watching TV with his older brother when, sudden, a news alert announced to the country – and to the unsuspecting children – that their father had been murdered with a single gunshot to the face.
“It was a very chaotic and traumatic period,” he recalled. Adding to that was people’s expectations of him to be a carbon copy of his father. Dexter did uphold his father’s legacy – but in his own way, and while also establishing his own foundations as a civil rights activist.
Dexter became an attorney and one area of his focus, besides advocacy, was protecting his father’s legacy and the family’s related intellectual property. He was also president of the King estate and served as a chairman of the King Center.
Rest in peace, Dexter Scott King.
