Regina King's only child Ian Alexander Jr. dies by suicide at the age of 26, report says
- Regina King's son, Ian Alexander Jr., has died by suicide on Friday, People confirmed.
- King called her son a "bright light" in a statement following his death.
Regina King's son, Ian Alexander Jr., died by suicide on Friday, just two days after his 26th birthday.
Entertainment blog LoveBScott first reported the news, which was confirmed in a statement King, 51, made to People, where she called her only son a "bright light."
"Our family is devastated at the deepest level by the loss of Ian," the Oscar winner 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. Thank you."
King shared Ian Alexander Jr. with her former husband, record producer Ian Alexander Sr. King and Alexander Sr. were married for almost a decade and divorced in 2007, according to People.
Ian Alexander Jr., who was a DJ, often accompanied his mother on the red carpet, where he praised her as 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," he told E! News while accompanying his mom at the 2019 Golden Globes.
King similarly lauded her son, saying that being a mother is the most rewarding task.
"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," King to People. "When you experience it, it's the most fulfilling [thing] ever."
In a 2017 interview on "The View," King revealed that she and Ian Alexander Jr. had matching tattoos that read "unconditional love" in Aramaic.
"We were taking Kabbalah classes," King told the hosts. "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."
Last year Ian Alexander Jr. shared a touching Instagram post to celebrate King's 50th birthday.
"Happy birthday to my co, so extremely proud of you and inspired by your love, artistry, and gangsta! 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," he wrote.