Regina King’s son, Ian Alexander Jr., has died at the age of 26, just days after his 26th birthday.
Alexander Jr. was King’s only child. His father is her ex-husband, music producer Ian Alexander Sr.
“Our family is devastated at the deepest level by the loss of Ian,” King said in a statement to People magazine. “He is such a bright light who cared so deeply about the happiness of others. Our family asks for respectful consideration during this private time. Thank you.”
People also confirmed that Alexander Jr. died by suicide.
He was also a musician, and last week King posted about his new project on her Instagram.
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Last year, he honored his mother on Instagram for her birthday, writing,
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The mother and son had a close relationship and even had matching tattoos.
“We were taking Kabbalah classes,” King said in 2017 on The View. “He said, let’s choose three [designs] each and not tell each other which ones they are and whichever one is matching, that’s the one we’re going to get tattooed — and we both chose unconditional love.”
She told People in 2007, speaking about being a single mother: “You don’t know what unconditional love is. You may say you do, but if you don’t have a child, you don’t know what that is,” she explained at the time. “When you experience it, it’s the most fulfilling [thing] ever.”
“She’s just a super mom,” said Alexander Jr. on the red carpet at the 2019 Golden Globs to E! News. “She doesn’t really let bad work days or anything come back and ruin the time that we have. It’s really awesome to have a mother who I can enjoy spending time with.”
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If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline online or via phone at 1-800-273-8255 (for the deaf and hard of hearing, contact 1-800-799-4889).
