By: Adam Beam 1/22/2024
Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of the late Martin Luther King Jr., died after a battle with prostate cancer on Monday, according to the King Center in Atlanta.
"He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu," Leah Weber King, his wife of 11 years, announced. She continues, "As with all the challenges in his life, he faced this hurdle with bravery and might."
Dexter Scott King was born on January 30, 1961, to Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King in Atlanta, Georgia. Dexter's name came from the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church located in Montgomery, Alabama, where his father served as a pastor for a period of time.
King spent much of his adult life continuing the legacy and advocacy work of his father since his assassination in 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. At the time of his death, Dexter King served as the chairman of the King Center.
Dexter Scott King is survived by his wife Leah Weber King, sister Rev. Dr. Bernice King, his brother Martin Luther King III, and his niece Yolanda Renee King.
For Shippensburg University students, the 36th Annual MLK March for Humanity will be on Tuesday, January 30, beginning at 3:30 p.m. The event will be held in the Old Main Chapel and will feature a speech from Pennsylvania Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton.
