Dexter King (MLK's Gay Son) Is Dead--62 Yrs Old. Prostate Cancer

Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died Monday at the age of 62, the King Center said in a statement.

Forbes obtained a copy of the statement, which said King died at his home in California after a “valiant battle” with prostate cancer.

At the time of his death, King was serving as chairman of the Atlanta-based King Center and president of the King Estate—and “devoted his life” to preserving “his father’s legacy” and protecting intellectual property that “his father left behind,” according to the statement.

The search function is broken again.

I never heard about him being gay…

Wasn't there some kind of family feud between him and his siblings, over MLK's legacy or estate?

It most certainly is! I actually did a DL search before posting. It came back "nothing found"

[quote]Wasn't there some kind of family feud between him and his siblings, over MLK's legacy or estate?

Yes

First..NONE of the kids have lived up to the legacy of their parents. Not one! They have been living off of their parents legacy for all of their lives. Dexter was all about the money and his only interest was exploiting the King estate in order to squeeze every penny out of it. The last 3 were always in court and suing each other over something.

[quote]I never heard about him being gay…

What's that ole negro spiritual?

"Only a look..."

"One look will reveal..."

Who's the fat, bald King son? I irrationally hate him.

You’d think if he was gay his prostate would have had a better workout.

So boys...get your prostate checked!!

R6, sorry for being obtuse, but what does all of that mean?

What's in a name... Mmph, mmph, mmph!!! All this going on about Dexter's death and no mention of his accomplishments. Because... he had no accomplishments except being the youngest son of Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King!

[quote]In May 1989, King's mother named the twenty-eight-year-old as her successor as president of the King Center. Before his mother's choice, King openly expressed interest in changing the King Center into "a West Point of nonviolent training". Dexter Scott King served as president of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, but resigned only four months after taking the office after a dispute with her. He resumed the position in 1994, but the King Center's influence was sharply reduced by then. As President, he cut the number of staff from 70 to 14 and shut down a child care center among a shift from conventional activities to prioritizing preserving his father's legacy. Reflecting, King admitted that the time was not right since he was "probably moving faster than the board was ready to"

But then he and his boyfriend... err... best friend Phillip Madison Jones attempted to rape King estate for every penny that it had/has .Were it not for Bernice....

Dexter was always the most money hungry of the bunch. Not liked by any of the people who run the MLK Center. He went out to Hollywood thinking he was going to be a major star, and found out no one gave a crap about him, and finally came back home to run whatever con he could to generate income.

PEOPLE Magazine had once chosen Dexter as one of their 50 Most Beautiful People. Well deserved, I think.

[quote]Dexter was always the most money hungry of the bunch. Not liked by any of the people who run the MLK Center.

Yep. But they're all messes.

Yolanda--a nut case and rumored lesbian

Martin 3rd or 4th--Lazy do nothing son that lives off of his name. He has done nothing of note and very easily manipulated. He was even fired (or suspended) from his position at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference-SCLC (that he won because of his name) because he didn't work

Dexter--Married VERY late in life after he and his boyfriend... err best friend had a falling out. Had done NOTHING noteworthy except wreck havoc and be a child of Martin Luther King

Bernice King--VERY homophobic and yet rumored to be a lesbian

All four of them felt entitled and did not need to do anything to make a name for themself.

Then there’s a female cousin who is absolutely bonkers

I lived in Atlanta for 25 years, we all thought Dexter played for our team 😉

Although a dated piece (10-11 years old) it gives an excellent insight into the mess these kids created because they had no idea of what they were doing and were money hungry--Dexter the worst of them. It talks about how badly the King Center is in disrepair, on and on...

Yolanda was Coretta's favorite child, by far. When she died an acquaintance who knew the King kids quite well told me she was concerned that Coretta wouldn't make it much longer as they were inseparable. Coretta knew all her other kids were money whores who thought their shit came out in plastic bags.

And Marty (MLK III), my God what a cretin. He was sent packing from the SCLC because he almost bankrupted the organization. That same acquaintance told me once she (and plenty others) weren't so sure he wasn't intellectually stunted, aka a retard..

Bernice, a Pentacostal preacher, and proponent of the "prosperity gospel", or as Rev. Ike called it "out of the ghetto and into the get mo" was a protege of wife beating, pederast, closet case "Bishop" Eddie Long, the leader of the New Birth Missionary Baptist megachurch in Atlanta who was found to be paying off all the families of the boys he was accused of gettin' busy with.

I didn't know Dexter had gone back to California for a 2nd time after his first failed attempt to become a movie star. Doesn't surprise me though. Someone like him wears out his welcome father fast, no matter where he is. Always looking for favors to get ahead rather than actually working for it. I knew when he came back to Atlanta he wouldn't get far. None of the organizations his family was previously involved with were going to give him the time of day as they all knew what a grifter all the living King children were/are.

^TELL IT! T-E-L-L IT!!! SPEAK THE WORDS! SPEAK THE WORDS!!!

Let the sunshine in and let the truth be known to all! HALELLUJAH!!!

[quote]Marty (MLK III), my God what a cretin. He was sent packing from the SCLC because he almost bankrupted the organization. That same acquaintance told me once she (and plenty others) weren't so sure he wasn't intellectually stunted, aka a retard..

I can believe that. I sort of wondered if there was "something" wrong with him but what cannot be denied is what a lazy and incompetent as... Well, he just ain't smart.

MLK III couldn't hold on to a seat on the Fulton County Commission. That's lower-level local politics and he couldn't hack it, with that name, in ATLANTA.

Coretta Scott King was no Mother Theresa either. Shady grifter in her later years, always shaking down Coca Cola, Delta and other Atlanta companies for misspent $$$. The kids were the apples that fell from her tree.

Marty King = Mr. Potato Head 🙄

And don't forget R24, Oprah sprang for a million dollar plus condo at Park Place (Elton's old crib) for Coretta to spend her last few years in. I dare say Coretta could have afforded to pay cash for her own million dollar plus condo, but even with all the money at her disposal she chose to stay in Vine City (the hood) for decades after MLK Jr. died until Oprah coughed up the dough.

[quote]I dare say Coretta could have afforded to pay cash for her own million dollar plus condo, but even with all the money at her disposal she chose to stay in Vine City (the hood) for decades after MLK Jr. died until Oprah coughed up the dough.

I want to jump into this... I don't know. These people did not have as much money as one would think. When MLK died all he left Coretta and the children was $5K in a bank account. There was no life insurance (and like... who would have insured him?) and the kids schooling was paid for by a trust fund set up by Harry Belefonte. Okay... but over the years Coretta raised a lot of money BUT that does not mean that she didn't spend a lot of it too--and maybe recklessly. I've been looking this morning for Dexter's net worth and I have seen a range from $2M-$50M. It was nowhere near $50M in my opinion and much more closer to the $2M or lower. From my very limited knowledge and understanding, Dexter was a spender! I think the others were not too far behind him either. It's very easy to spend money when you have no sense of its value and/or it's easy to report amounts (for publicity's sake) that was never received.

It is AWFUL how this family has allowed The King Center to deteriorate.

Trust me, after MLK, Jr. was assassinated it didn't take long for various concerns to start literally throwing money at Coretta, and eventually the children as they became adults. That coupled with their abilities as talented grifters who were taught by some who hovered around and near MLK, Jr. how to put the squeeze on people who had lots of money and various corporations. If it was made public just how much money the Kings siphoned from the King Center before it finally was sold off to the National Parks Service, who paid big for it. The Kings all got their cuts from that sale, you can bet on that. The NPS paid almost $2 million just for MLK's birth home in Atlanta.

Now I'm trying to remember the name of that 80s 90s black NYC drag queen who was a riff on Coretta Scott King. Help me out, anyone remember?

THANK YOU, R28!!! I couldn't remember if the King Center had been sold or not, and was too lazy--remnants of Marty, to look it up. Now, after your posting, I looked it up quickly and learned that the NPS bought the King Center and MLK's home for under $2M. That might sound like a bargain to some but from what I've heard both sites require major and extensive renovation. The Center alone will run between $11M-15M. But THANK GOD the structures are now under good stewardship--well, better stewardship.

Ya know... I'm going to agree with you. A LOT of money was thrown towards Coretta, the children, AND The King Center. My question now, is what happened to all of that money? Who spent it and where. Also, I was always curious who Coretta "entertained" after MLK's assassination. She was a rather young woman and I'm sure open to many possibilities. OH! Who owns the condo? Or, did it revert back to Oprah and her holding company? That has been her MO in the past.

[quote]Now I'm trying to remember the name of that 80s 90s black NYC drag queen who was a riff on Coretta Scott King. Help me out, anyone remember?

Hmm... don't know but if memory serves me correctly I believe that Sylvester (yes, that one) played Coretta Scott King in some movie..

AHA! Found it! "Tricia's Wedding" 1971

Yes cool, but I'm not thinking of Sylvester. A real lower east side drag queen. Linda Simpson would probably know.

R30 Oprah always retained ownership of the condo from what I was told. She just allowed Coretta to live there rent free until she died. What she did with it after Coretta died, I can't say, but I would assume she probably sold it.

The NPS also bought Coretta's former home in Vine City in 2019 for $400 thousand. So that was a little influx of cash to the 3 remaining kids.

And let's not forget the number of entities they sued over the years. One only had to utter MLK Jr's. name on camera and the kids were ready for a fight. I'm sure they got quite a lot of go away money from all their lawsuits.

So disappointed to hear this news about MLK’s brood. No wonder Coretta was so pro-gay, 2/3 of her children were LGBT…

[quote]First..NONE of the kids have lived up to the legacy of their parents. Not one! They have been living off of their parents legacy for all of their lives. Dexter was all about the money and his only interest was exploiting the King estate in order to squeeze every penny out of it. The last 3 were always in court and suing each other over something.

At least, none of their kids burned Coretta to death.

[quote]So disappointed to hear this news about MLK’s brood.

Ohhhhh, honey! Them chirren are messes!!!

and it didn't just start yesterday. That's why I'm rather flummoxed by all of the tributes (even by regular folk) regarding Dexter's death. There were no outstanding "whatevers' personally and/or in maintaining the legacies of his parents. His only claim to fame was simply being the youngest son of MLK Jr. Granted, he also looks A LOT like MLK, Jr in my opinion. Much , MUCH, more than the oldest son

[quote]At least, none of their kids burned Coretta to death.

That's NOT nice. That child (probably a grown adult now) is mentally challenged.

Here's a better pic. She was a big hit around Atlanta

[quote]The NPS also bought Coretta's former home in Vine City in 2019 for $400 thousand. So that was a little influx of cash to the 3 remaining kids.

Any inkling how Alveda is getting her taste of the King legacy. She sure enough is capitalizing off it by being the darling of the extreme conservative right-wing with her "fast" little ass...

The King kids wouldn't spit on any of the outer King relatives if they were on fire. Alveda is a Trump loving halfwitted homophobic sow. Of one thing I can guarantee you of. Not one thin dime of the money that has come to the core Kings has touched her paws.

So demoralizing. But we put folks on pedestals, even those through association to said folks.

Perhaps I'm confounding my imaginary Coretta Scott King drag queen with Vaginal Creme Davis.

Sounds like this granddaughter is going to singlehandedly save the legacy.

[quote]Granted, he also looks A LOT like MLK, Jr in my opinion. Much , MUCH, more than the oldest son

I'm glad someone else posted this, because I have always found it strange how much MLK Jr does NOT resemble his father or his siblings. He resembles Coretta a bit.

[quote] I have always found it strange how much MLK Jr does NOT resemble his father or his siblings.

You mean "MLK III". Marty looks much more like Coretta.

Dexter's Buckhead (Atlanta) GA house

Hmm... it looks cozy.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

More clues about Dexter's money and the family strife. From his obituary it came across to me that Marty and Bernice had no idea of how sick he was.

[quote]She sure enough is capitalizing off it by being the darling of the extreme conservative right-wing with her "fast" little ass...

[quote]Alveda is a Trump loving halfwitted homophobic sow.

Hmm... IMHO, Alveda is nothing more than an opportunist. I suppose she is in good company given the family overall. She was the girl that was so hot that she couldn't keep her panties on and had multiple abortions and then found Jesus and feels so guilty about her abortions that she won't rest until no one has access to abortion healthcare. This was a major opportunity to harness and make money from the extreme right-wing. A King? Anti-Abortion? So, I guess she decided to raise the stakes and become anti-gay (more money, more money) especially since Coretta supported gay rights. I guess the family is still suspicious of her since her father died from drowning (an excellent swimmer according to many) and she was the last one to see him alive only hours before his being found dead

As I noted in the original, eclipsed thread, Dexter certainly didn’t cover himself with glory when he met James Earl Ray in prison, shook his hand, & exonerated him of any guilt in his father’s assassination. Not even RFK, Jr., stooped that low in his support of Sirhan.

He spent a ton of money tarting the Atlanta pad up since he bought it. According to Zillow it hasn't been sold since he bought it in 2105. I'd love to know who gets the property now. It'll sell at a nice profit as the current value is over $3 million.

Can't figure out why Google Maps has blurred out the top portion of that chimney.

I tell ya, R51... Whether it be Malibu or Atlanta, it's A LOT of house for just two people! In my small mind it's the money-flow that's not making a lot of sense to me. Okay, he buys the Malibu property in let's say 2005 (can't find his buying price) and then puts it on the market for nearly $5M. He then buys the Atlanta property (and I saw somewhere that it was a "fixer-upper") for nearly $2M. On the surface it seems as if these were savvy financial moves. But then I read somewhere that Malibu was being rented and they were renting in Malibu....

Something just doesn't sit right here with me but oh well...

The point is the money all came from the MLK legacy. Dexter never did anything on his own except pull money from his parents' legacy. He was even being paid like $187K/year. I'm sure his wife is going to inherit everything.

[quote] since he bought it in 2105

Sorry, that should be 2015. Fingers don't want to work well this morning.

raci$t le$bian troll alert!!

"All four of them felt entitled and did not need to do anything to make a name for themself."

Typical .... Just like Kennedy clan, but with darker skin

Hmm... I understand your point R55, but I don't know if I would fully agree. Without question the Kennedys had a lot of advantages solely due to their surname but many of them have done some substantial things ie Maria Shriver, Caroline Kennedy (she's now the Ambassador to Australia after a stint as Ambassador to Japan), etc

The Kings (like the Kennedys) do have big shoes to try and fill but all of the "angst" over inherited money, legacies, etc does not seem to plague the Kennedys as it does the Kings. Many of the Kennedys do seem to make attempts at forging their own way. Keep in mind that there are A LOT of them!

The Kennedys have generational wealth that the scions of the Kings simply didn’t have…

After Belafonte supported the King children for years, they tried to keep him from selling documents (at a charitable fundraiser auction) that MLK had gifted to him. He had to sue them to establish his rightful ownership.

Did the children get a chance to do something else? Did Coretta make them devote themselves to upholding their father’s legacy? MLK was a larger than life person. It had to have been difficult for the children to live up to such lofty expectations.

I’ve also been hearing unsavory stories about Harry too. Now that he’s gone, the tea spills.

[quote]After Belafonte supported the King children for years, they tried to keep him from selling documents (at a charitable fundraiser auction) that MLK had gifted to him. He had to sue them to establish his rightful ownership.

Mmph...

FYI

I'm following Dexter's widow's blog now. What an EXCEPTIONAL eye she has re artwork, IMHO!

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3TmqOorZ6csm%2BvzqZmraCimq6le5JscGpsZ2WAbrDEsaueql2gtq%2BzjKajpGWjYrSixYyspqdlmah6pbHAnWRval2uv7R5zqWbZ2Wgp7y0wMCtnGabkaOwpr4%3D