Dexter King, Martin Luther King Jr.'s Youngest Son, Dies At 62

ATLANTA — Dexter Scott King, the youngest son to civil-rights activists Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, has died after battling prostate cancer, the King Center announced Monday. He was 62-years-old.

Dexter King's wife, Leah Weber King, said he peacefully died Monday while asleep at his Malibu home with her. He was the third child to the Kings and was married to Leah King for nearly 11 years.

"He gave it everything and battled this terrible disease until the end," she said in a news release. "As with all the challenges in his life, he faced this hurdle with bravery and might."

Funeral details have not yet been announced.

Dexter King was the current chairman of the King Center and president of the King Estate, according to the center. His death comes nearly 17 years after Yolanda King died in November 2007 in Santa Monica, California.

"Words cannot express the heartbreak I feel from losing another sibling," Bernice King, who serves as the chief executive officer of the King Center, said in the release. "I'm praying for strength to get through this very difficult time."

Martin Luther King III called his late brother's death a devastatingly sudden shock.

"It is hard to have the right words at a moment like this," he said in the release. "We ask for your prayers at this time for the entire King family."

Tributes began pouring in Monday via X, formerly Twitter.

"My condolences to all of Dexter’s family & friends. May he RIP, may his legacy live," Rev. Al Sharpton said.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee expressed being deeply saddened by the death of Dexter King.

"Sending prayers & condolences to all of his family and loved ones. May he rest in peace and power," she said.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. Dexter King was 7-years-old at the time, the center said. Coretta Scott King died in 2006 in Rosarito, Mexico.

"Like his father, he grew up in Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where his grandfather served as pastor. He was a graduate of Fredrick Douglas High School, where he played football and participated in many other school organizations," the center said in the release.

Afterwards, Dexter King attended Morehouse College like his father. The center said Dexter King was committed to further his father's legacy and protecting his intellectual property.

The center noted Dexter King's portrayal of his father in the 2002 biopic, "The Rosa Parks Story."

"The actor had a love for the creative arts and initially relocated to California to pursue a career in acting. But family duty called and he answered, living out the rest of his life balancing both his love for the arts and his duties to the King family legacy," the center said in the release.

Dexter King married his wife in July 2013 and built a life of love with her that mimicked that of his father and mother, the center said.