What happened to Dexter Scott King? Youngest son of Martin Luther King Jr. dies at 62

Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of Martin Luther King Jr., died at 62 on January 22, after battling prostate cancer. The King Center in Atlanta, where Dexter King served as a chairman, stated he passed away at his home in Malibu. As per his wife, Leah Weber King, Dexter died "peacefully in his sleep."

Dexter was the third of King's four children and was just seven years old when his father was assassinated in April 1968 while supporting the strike by sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee.

He was mentioned for the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama where his father served as the pastor in 1955.

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Dexter Scott King bore a striking resemblance to his father

Dexter Scott King attended the Morehouse College in Atlanta and worked as Chairman of the King Center and president of the King Estate. His life was devoted to perpetuating his father's legacy and protecting his intellectual property after his death, as per The King Center.

Dexter King got married to Leah Weber in July 2013 in a private ceremony in California. Leah is a journalist, born on August 7, 1986, in New Orleans, Louisiana. She runs a website by her own name, where she posts blogs about art, among other topics.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s wife, Coretta Scott King, died in 2006. Their eldest child, Yolanda King, also passed away in 2007.

Following Dexter's recent demise, Bernice A. Young, the former's younger sibling, said in a statement:

"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.”

Reverend Al Sharpton, founder and president of civil rights organization the National Action Network, talked about Dexter Scott King's passing in a statement, saying that he was "heartbroken."

"Dexter was only seven when his hero, his role model, and, most importantly, his father was taken from us. He turned that pain into activism, however, and dedicated his life to advancing the dream Martin and Coretta Scott King had for their children, their grandchildren, and all the generations to come after."

In addition to upholding his father's legacy with his work, Dexter Scott King also bore a striking resemblance to his father. In a 2002 movie about Rosa Parks, Dexter played the role of his father.

Dexter Scott is survived by his wife, Leah Weber, his sister Rev. Dr. Benice. A. Young, and his brother Martin Luther King III.