Dexter Scott King, Son of Dr. King, Dead at 62

Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has died. He was 62 years old.

Dexter King died in California on Sunday after a battle with prostate cancer.

“Words cannot express the heartbreak,” said the Rev. Bernice King. “I’m praying for strength to get through this very difficult time.”

Martin Luther King III added, “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.”

According to NBC, during King’s life he served as the chairman of the King Center, which managed the legacy and intellectual property of his family’s legacy. He also was the president of the King estate.

“He was the family member delegated to take on the mantle of continuing the precedent his father set by legally protecting his work,” the King Center said in a statement. “He devoted his lift to the continued perpetuation of his father’s legacy and the protection of the intellectual property his father left behind.”