Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of Martin Luther King Jr. has passed after a battle with cancer.
His death was announced on Monday, January 22, by the King Center. His wife, Leah Weber King, was with him during his death and she said “he transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with her in Malibu.”
It’s unclear when Dexter was diagnosed, but he is now the second child of MLK to have passed since their father was assassinated in 1968.
Yolanda King was the first of the children to die and she died in 2007 as a result of complications from ovarian cancer, among other ailments. The remaining living kids are Martin Luther King III (the eldest) and Bernice King (the youngest out of all of them).
Dexter who died at the age of 62, continued his father’s legacy in fighting for civil rights into the 21st century, but he was notable for confronting James Earl Ray, the man convicted and imprisoned for actually assassinating Dr. King. He asked him point blank if he did it, only to receive a “no.”
Dexter said he believed James at the time, and floated conspiracy theories about who really orchestrated his father’s murder, suggesting the U.S government was involved.
He also portrayed his dad in a 2002 TV movie, ‘The Rosa Parks Story’. His resemblance to Dr. King was something that was always talked about.
