Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, has died at the age of 62.
“He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu,” Leah Weber King, his wife of 11 years, said in a statement. “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 King Center confirmed Monday that King died after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. King, a civil rights activist, is survived by his wife, sister Dr. Bernice King, brother Martin Luther King III and niece Yolanda Renee King.
A graduate of Morehouse College, like his father, he became well versed in intellectual property law. He also played his father in a small role in the 2002 film The Rosa Parks Story. At the time of his death, King served as both chairman of the King Center and president of the King Estate.
