Ian Alexander Jr, the only child of the Oscar-winning actor and director Regina King, has died. He turned 26 on Wednesday.
“Our family is devastated at the deepest level by the loss of Ian,” a statement shared by a spokesman for King said.
“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.”
The spokesman confirmed the death was suicide. No further details were released.
Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense and Educational Fund, wrote on Twitter: “Deepest condolences and prayers for strength to Regina King. Sending back to her all the warmth and light and support she has extended to me and to so many others.”
King won an Oscar for best supporting actress in If Beale Street Could Talk and has starred in other films including the recent western The Harder They Fall, which also starred Idris Elba. She has won four Emmys.
She made her directorial debut with the well-reviewed One Night In Miami and is the recipient of two NAACP Image Awards.
Bernice King, chief executive of the Martin Luther King Jr Center for Nonviolent Change and daughter of the civil rights campaigner, wrote: “Praying for Regina King. She needs all the grace and light that can flow her way right now.”
Jonathan Capehart, a Washington Post columnist and MSNBC host, called Alexander’s death “incredibly sad” on Twitter.
“I am thinking of and praying for [Regina King] this morning,” he said.
King shared Alexander with her former husband, the record producer Ian Alexander Sr. The two divorced in 2007 after 10 years of marriage.
The younger Alexander was a DJ who often accompanied King to red carpet events.
At the 2019 Golden Globes, he said: “She’s just a super mom. 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.”
The pair had matching tattoos reading “unconditional love” in Aramaic.
“We were taking Kabbalah classes,” King said in 2017. “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.”
For his mother’s 50th birthday last year, Alexander posted a tribute on Instagram that read in part: “To be able to watch you take this lifetime by its neck and make it yours is something I will forever be grateful for. But to have you as my mother is the greatest gift I could ask for.”
On Instagram a week ago, King shared a clip of her son’s latest track, Green Eyes. In an interview, she once called her son “an amazing young man”.
“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,” said King. “When you experience it, it’s the most fulfilling [thing] ever.”
In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-8255 and online chat is also available. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.