Dexter Scott King dead: Youngest son of Martin Luther King Jr and Coretta Scott King dies of cancer

Dexter Scott King, the younger son of Martin Luther King Jr and Coretta Scott King, has died aged 62 after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. According to the King Centre in Atlanta, son of the civil rights leader died on Monday (January 22) at his California home.

Dexter King was named for the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Alabama where his father once served as pastor. He was seven when his father was assassinated in 1968.

As an adult, Dexter King became a lawyer and focused on shepherding his father’s legacy and protecting the King family’s intellectual property. In addition to serving as chairman of the King Centre, he was also president of the King estate. Coretta Scott King died in 2006, followed by the Kings’ oldest child Yolanda King in 2007.

In a statement, Reverend Bernice A King, Dexter King’s youngest sibling said: “Words cannot express the heart break I feel from losing another sibling."

His older brother, Martin Luther King III, said: “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.”