Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., died at the age of 62, according to an announcement from the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
King died peacefully at his Malibu, California, home after fighting prostate cancer, Fox News reported.
Rev. Kyev Tatum of Fort Worth told The Dallas Express that he spoke with the King family after news of his death broke and expressed his condolences.
“We are in prayer, as the world is. The King family has suffered a tremendous amount of loss, and we pray every time they lose a family member,” Tatum said. “[King] epitomized the essence of what Dr. King meant. He was beloved by everyone. What I hope is that his passing encourages all men of every color and state to go and get their prostate checked. We can save a lot more lives.”
“He gave it everything and battled this terrible disease until the end,” said King’s wife of 11 years, Leah Weber King, according to Fox News. “As with all the challenges in his life, he faced this hurdle with bravery and might.”
King devoted his life to protecting the legacy of his famous father and defending his father’s intellectual work. King served as chairman of the board for the King Center until his death. He is survived by his wife, his sister Rev. Bernice A. King, and his brother Martin Luther King III.
“Words cannot express the heartbreak I feel from losing another sibling,” his sister said in a statement. She was the youngest of the four King children. Their mother, Coretta Scott King, died in 2006, followed a year later by the eldest of the siblings, Yolanda King.
King was born in 1961 and was just 7 years old when his father was assassinated while standing on the balcony of his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. King described the moment as “the end of a carefree childhood.”
“Ever since I was seven, I’ve felt I must be formal,” he wrote in his 2004 memoir Growing Up King. “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.”
Though initially driven to be an actor, King ultimately chose to pursue law and attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, his father’s alma mater.
King bore a striking resemblance to his father, playing him in a 2002 film about civil rights activist Rosa Parks.
“Dexter Scott King’s life and contributions will leave a lasting impact on the legacy of the King family and the broader struggle for equality and justice,” the Atlanta City Council said in a statement, per WSB-TV. “We express our sincere condolences to his wife, Leah Weber King, Martin Luther King III, Dr. Bernice King, the King Center, and all who cherished him.”