Dexter Scott King, youngest son of Martin Luther King Jr dies at 62

The youngest son of Martin Luther King Jr and the civil rights activist Dexter Scott King died at the age of 62 at his home in Malibu, California Monday, according to the King Center, as he was battling prostate cancer.

In a statement, the wife of Dexter Scott King said that he passed away peacefully in his sleep.

He was married to Leah Weber King since 2013, who said: "He gave it everything and battled this terrible disease until the end. As with all the challenges in his life, he faced this hurdle with bravery and might."

In a statement, Dexter’s older brother Martin Luther King III said: "I am deeply saddened to share that my brother, Dexter Scott King, has passed away. The sudden shock is devastating. It is hard to have the right words at a moment like this. Please keep the entire King family in your prayers, and in particular Dexter’s wife, Leah Weber."

Al Sharpton said he was "heartbroken to hear that Dexter King left us this morning, but I was comforted by the knowledge he is reunited with his parents and sister."

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens while expressing his condolences to Dexter’s family, said: "His profound and unwavering love for his family positioned him as a guardian of his father and mother’s legacies."

"Dexter held various titles—Morehouse Man, humanitarian, Civil Rights activist, and even actor. However, above all, he was a devoted family man," he said.

He was a graduate of Morehouse College, Dexter and was the chairman of The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change. He was also president of the King Estate.

Dexter was only seven when his father was gunned down. Recalling the event, he told CNN that he had been watching TV with his older brother when a news flash interrupted, announcing his father had been shot in Memphis.

“It was a very chaotic and traumatic period,” he said.

Previously he told CNN that bearing his revolutionary father’s name could be both a blessing and a curse.

"People would say, I want you to be just like your father, or You should be a minister," he said.

Dexter’s career has intertwined with his father’s legacy, cowriting a book, "Growing Up King: An Intimate Memoir," and even acting as his father in a 2002 film, "The Rosa Parks Story."