Martin Luther King Jr.’s Son Dexter Scott King Dead at 62 After Cancer Battle

The family of Martin Luther King Jr. is mourning the loss of another beloved member.

Dexter Scott King, the Civil Rights activist's youngest son and third child, died on Jan. 22 after a "valiant battle" with prostate cancer, according to an official statement from The King Center. He was 62.

"He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu," his wife of 11 years, Leah Weber, said in the statement. "He gave it everything and battled this terrible disease until the end. As with all challenges in his life, he faced this hurdle with bravery and might." 

Dexter—who is brother to Martin Luther King III, 66, Bernice King, 60, and the late Yolanda King—was only seven years old when his father was assassinated but continued to carry on his legacy throughout his life. At the time of his death, he was the chairman of The King Center and President of the King Estate. 

"I am praying for strength to get through this very difficult time," Berenice said of Dexter. "Words cannot express the heartbreak I feel from losing another sibling."

And Martin Luther also shared some parting thoughts. 

"The sudden shock is devastating," the Drum Major Institute cofounder wrote on X, formerly Twitter—attaching an old family photo. "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 King."

The late King family member was known for his striking resemblance to his father, and initially pursued a career in acting—even starring as his father in the 2002 television film The Rosa Parks Story—before devoting his life to his father's legacy. 

"Ever since I was seven, I've felt I must be formal," he wrote of carrying out his father's life work in his 2004 memoir Growing Up King, per TIME. "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."

And though he lived an activism-driven life, Dexter never saw himself as a "leader."

"I'm not trying to have a constituency," he told the New York Times in 1997. "I'm not trying to be preachy or be on a pedestal. I'm not trying to effect change on that level, not because it's not something that should be done, but that's just not my best destiny."