MADISON, WI – After learning that Attorney Dexter Scott King, youngest son of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, passed away from prostate cancer at age 62, Representative Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) released the following statement:

“I am saddened to hear of the passing of Dexter Scott King, who was taken from us by prostate cancer at the untimely age of 62. It was only last week that his family, along with the rest of the nation, was celebrating his father’s birthday. Now, we all mourn the loss of a man who was wholeheartedly dedicated to carrying on the monumental legacy of his father’s and mother’s work.

Mr. King, as Chairman of the King Center and President of the King Estate, devoted his life to the preservation of his father’s intellectual property and to the continuation of the family tradition of civil rights activism and humanitarianism. The nation is poorer in his absence.

I will be praying for Mr. King’s family and loved ones in this difficult time. My deepest condolences especially go out to his wife, Leah Weber King, and his two surviving siblings, Martin Luther King III and Reverend Dr. Bernice King. I wish them peace and time for healing reflection in the days to come, and that memories of Mr. King comfort them in their grief. May we all be emboldened by Dexter Scott King’s life to act justly and with compassion.”