Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr and Coretta Scott King, has died from cancer.
The King Center in Atlanta announced the 62-year-old son of the civil rights leader died Monday at his California home after battling prostate cancer.
Dexter Scott King was named for the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Alabama where his father once served as pastor.
His wife Leah Weber King said Dexter “transitioned peacefully in his sleep” in their Malibu home.
She said Dexter battled cancer with all he had before eventually succumbing to the illness. “As with all the challenges in his life, he faced this hurdle with bravery and might,” she said.
Dexter was born and raised in Atlanta. Ga. He was only 7 years old when his father was assassinated.
Dexter and his siblings, Yolanda, MLK III and Bernice, were assured an education thanks to Harry Belafonte, who set up a trust fund for them years prior to their father’s death.
Dexter’s sister, Yolanda, died in 2007.
He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta where he earned a bachelors degree in business administration.
Dexter was a fixture in Atlanta’s nightclubs in the ’80s and ’90s. He was a ladies man during his bachelor days in Atlanta before moving to the West Coast and settling down.
Dexter would have turned 63 on January 30th.
