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Regina King has lost her only child. King released a statement revealing that her son, Ian Alexander Jr., has committed suicide just days after his 26th birthday.
“Our family is devastated at the deepest level by the loss of Ian,” King said 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.”
King shared her son with her ex-husband producer Ian Alexander Sr. They divorced back in 2007.
Alexander Jr., who turned 26 on Jan. 19, was a DJ and went by the moniker Desduné. He just released his single, “Green Eyes,” on Jan. 7. He had an upcoming performance at the Avalon in Los Angeles, California on Jan. 28 for Breaking Sound Los Angeles that he was promoting on his Instagram page in his last post.
In his last few tweets, it seemed like Alexander Jr. was going through a rough time.
“You know that episode of SpongeBob where they go inside his brain and it’s a bunch of mini spongebobs just losing their shit…..yea that one really hits home,” he tweeted on Jan. 14.
He then followed that tweet up with, “I don’t think Instagram is healthy for me.”
King and Alexander Jr. shared a close bond. While accompanying his mother to the Golden Globes on 2019, he spoke about how wonderful his mother is.
“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.”
During an interview in 2011 on CNN’s Red Chair, King spoke about loving being Alexander Jr.’s mother.
“I get emotional because my son is an amazing young man, and it took me to be a mother for me to realize how incredible of a woman she (my mother) is,” she said. “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. But when you experience it, it is the most fulfilling ever. So, that is the greatest part about me. Being a mom to Ian.”
