Dexter Scott King memorial service | Celebrating life, legacy of civil rights activist

ATLANTA - It's time to come together and remember civil rights activist Dexter Scott King.

The late son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died last month after a three-and-a-half-year battle with prostate cancer. He was 62.

Friends, family, and supporters gathered on Feb. 10 at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta for the "Candlelight Musical Experience: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Dexter Scott."

The service began at 6:30 p.m. ET and was broadcast on FOX 5 Atlanta and streamed on FOX5Atlanta.com and on FOX Local.

Dexter Scott King Full Memorial Service

List of speakers for Dexter Scott King memorial service

• Rev. Dr. Bernice King

• Martin Luther King III

• Leah Weber King

• Rev. Raphael Warnock

Performances by

• Sunday Service
• Hezekiah Walker
• Cece Winans
• Bebe Winans
• Marvin Winans
• Spelman College Glee Club and Morehouse College Glee Club
• Lawrence Flowers
• Sonya Williams
• Stevie Wonder

View of American Soul, R&B, Funk, and Pop musician Stevie Wonder (center) and Dexter King (right) onstage during a birthday tribute concert in honor of the latter's grandfather (Dr Martin Luther King Jr) at the Medinah Temple, Chicago, Illino

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How to watch the Dexter Scott King memorial service

• Dexter Scott King service was broadcast on FOX 5 Atlanta starting at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10
• Service was streamed live on FOX5Atlanta.com
• Service was streamed on FOX Local

Legacy of Dexter Scott King

Born in Atlanta on Jan. 30, 1961, he was named after Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, where his father served his first pastorate. He was the second-born son of Dr. and Mrs. King and was only seven years old when his father was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968. Like his father, he grew up in Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where his grandfather served as pastor. He was a graduate of Frederick Douglas High School, where he played football and participated in many other school organizations. He then followed in his father’s footsteps to Morehouse College in Atlanta.

The son of the civil rights icons was the family member delegated to take on the mantel of continuing the precedent his father set by legally protecting his work. He devoted his life to the continued perpetuation of his father’s legacy and the protection of the intellectual property (IP) his father left behind. At the time of his death, Dexter served as both chairman of The King Center and President of the King Estate. Becoming well versed in intellectual property law, and its management and licensing was the result of his dedication to the delegated task and the memory of both his father and mother.

Known for being humble about his uncanny resemblance to his father, he portrayed him in the 2002 television movie "The Rosa Parks Story." The actor had a love for the creative arts and initially relocated to California to pursue a career in acting. But family duty called, and he answered, living out the rest of his life balancing both his love of the arts and his duties to the King family legacy.

Donations in memory of Dexter Scott King

The family of Dexter King is asking well-wishers not to send flowers, but instead to make donations to Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.

Donations can be made online at thekingcenter.org or by texting MLKGIVE to 44321.