ATLANTA — The life and legacy of Dexter Scott King will be celebrated next month with a candlelight musical experience, the King family announced Tuesday morning.
King, the youngest son of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died last week at 62 years old after a battle with prostate cancer.
“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," his wife, Leah Weber King, said in a statement last week.
He was also remembered by his sister, King Center CEO Dr. Bernice King, as someone who "had a vision to build something that would bring my father to life through technology."
Dexter Scott King services details
In a release, the King family announced that there will be a candlelight musical experience to celebrate the life and legacy of Dexter Scott King.
- Time: Saturday, Feb. 10 at 6:30 p.m. ET
- Place: Ebenezer Baptist Church Horizon Sanctuary, 101 Jackson St. NE, Atlanta
The King family added in the release: "In lieu of flowers, The King Family requests donations in memory of Dexter Scott King be given to The King Center via www.thekingcenter.org or text MLKGIVE to 44321."
More on Dexter Scott King
Dexter King was born on Jan. 30, 1961, as Coretta Scott King and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s third child. The Kings named him after Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, where his father served his first pastorate, according to a statement. Dexter King was only 7 years old when his father was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
He attended Frederick Douglass High and followed in his father's footsteps by attending Morehouse College. For a time, he served as the Chairman of The King Center and President of the King Estate.
Bernice King remarked that discussing the news was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do, fighting back tears from atop the podium, as she said, "appreciate your leadership and your love."
As she continued, Bernice talked about her brother's many accomplishments from photography, DJing, working in the Department of Corrections, and eventually taking over The King Center from their mother.
Then she talked about how Dexter fought to preserve their father's legacy by protecting protecting the center's intellectual property long before many saw the importance of that. It's a strategy that paved the way for legislation that protects the work of creatives today.
"He was always very creative and innovative," Bernice stated. "He had a vision to build something that would bring my father to life through technology."
Even while they occasionally disagreed, Bernice said, "None of that destroyed our love and our respect for each other. I always admired his brilliant mind and his ability to innovate...I told him, you have the most strategic mind I know."