Martin Luther King Jr.'s Son Dexter Dead At 62

Dexter Scott King, Martin Luther King Jr.'s youngest son, died on January 22, 2024, CNN reported. He was 62. In a statement, The King Center revealed that prostate cancer led to Dexter's death. King's wife, Leah Weber King, shared, "He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu. 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." 

At the time of his father's death, Dexter was only seven years old. He later recalled in his memoir "Growing Up King" how the assassination affected him (via ABC27). "Ever since I was seven, I've felt I must be formal. Formality, seriousness, certitude — all these are difficult poses to maintain, even if you're a person with perfect equilibrium, with all the drama life throws at you," he wrote. Although he loved the arts and wanted to become an actor, Dexter spent his life working to uphold his father's legacy until his death.

It must have been hard living up to Martin Luther King Jr.'s name, but Dexter Scott King bore the weight well. In 2003, he told CNN, "People would say, 'I want you to be just like your father,' or 'You should be a minister." Rather than preach to the masses, Dexter's path in life was to bring awareness to his father's teachings by opening up The King Center in Atlanta Georgia. "We continue to educate the world about his teachings of nonviolence. We want [MLK's teachings] to be intact for generations yet unborn," he stated.

As an attorney, Dexter used his knowledge to preserve his father's intellectual property through The King Center. "He was the family member delegated to take on the mantle of continuing the precedent his father set by legally protecting his work," the organization said in a statement, per NBC News.

Along with his wife, Leah Weber King, Dexter is survived by his sister, Reverend Dr. Bernice King, and his brother, Martin Luther King, III. "Words cannot express the heart break I feel from losing another sibling," Dr. Bernice stated, per PBS. Martin added, "The sudden shock is devastating. 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."

As reported by Fox5, the family will hold a press conference on January 23 at The King Center and will give an update on Dexter's memorial service in the near future.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech has, of course, gone down in history as one of the most moving monologues ever, and it's clear Dexter Scott King inherited his father's talents. In 1988, he spoke in front of the North Shore Country Day School attendees and told the audience, "The thing that best characterizes my father's life and ultimately the life of any servant, in my opinion, is the fact that he practiced what he preached." 

He continued, "As I travel around the country and around the world, I always feel like I have a special mission or message to bring to young people and I say that because there are so many of us who were not necessarily old enough or even born during the civil rights era." Dexter spoke often about the Civil Rights movement and how his father educated himself on non-violence and social justice.

As reported by The Washington Post, in 1997 Dexter met his father's accused killer, James Earl Ray, in prison to tell him that he didn't believe the convicted felon was guilty. "I want you to know that I believe you and my family believes you and we are going to do everything in our power to try and make sure that justice will prevail," Dexter told Ray. The late attorney had testified a month prior in court, along with his mother Coretta Scott King, to try to get Ray a trial. Ultimately, Ray died in prison in 1998.