Dexter Scott King dies of prostate cancer at 62

Dexter Scott King, the son of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died on Monday in California at age 62 after a battle with prostate cancer.

King's wife, Leah Weber King, said that he died "peacefully in his sleep."

He spent much of his life living out the civil rights legacies of his parents.

“The sudden shock is devastating,” Martin Luther King III, the older brother of Dexter King, said in a statement. “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.”

Dexter King was only seven years old when his father was assassinated.

He was named Dexter after the church where King pastored and conducted civil rights activities.