Regina King’s Son, Ian Alexander Jr., Dies
Ian Alexander Jr., the son of Regina King, has died by suicide, according to PEOPLE. His 26th birthday was this past week.
“Our family is devastated at the deepest level by the loss of Ian,” King says in a statement sent to PEOPLE. “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.”
He was the only child of Regina King, whom she shared with her ex-husband, record producer Ian Alexander Sr.Following in his father’s musical footsteps, Ian was a deejay.
Despite her rising success as an actress and director, King claimed at the time that Ian was her greatest source of pride. After divorcing Ian’s father in 2007 after nine years of marriage, King acknowledged that being a single parent wasn’t always easy, but nothing could overcome her devotion to her son.
“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.”
The pair also has matching tattoos, which read “unconditional love” in Aramaic — his on his shoulder and hers on her arm.
“We were taking Kabbalah classes,” King said of the ink on The View 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.”
Ian has frequently attended red carpets with his mother, calling her “super mom” at the Golden Globes in 2019.
“She’s just a super mom,” he told 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.”
At the time, King said Ian made her “happier than anything in the whole world.”
LoveBScott was the first to report the news of Ian’s death.
This is post P-90x. I’m saying I watched the videos. I’m not saying I participated. Born in my mom’s basement, I’ve stayed there to embody the stereotype. One day I will rise up… to the main floor of the house.
