Regina King has announced the unfortunate passing of her son to suicide. Ian Alexander Jr., 26, was her only child with ex husband, Ian Alexander Sr.
On Friday afternoon, King shared a statement to multiple media outlets on her son’s untimely death.
“Our family is devastated at the deepest level by the loss of Ian. “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.”
Although initial reporting did not state the cause of death, it was later confirmed that the young entrepreneur and DJ took his own life, just two days after his birthday.
In 2007, King reportedly said of 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. When you experience it, it’s the most fulfilling [thing] ever.”
According to PageSix, the mother and son also shared a tattoo that read “unconditional love” in Aramaic.
Once the news broke, the support began pouring in on Twitter for King and her family.
Among the celebrity messages was Marc Lamont Hill who tweeted, “Sending all of my love and condolences to Regina King. I pray that she’s surrounded by love and healing energy.”
Daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., Bernice King wrote, “Praying for Regina King. She needs all the grace and light that can flow her way right now.”
Comedian Loni Love also took to twitter to share her support and a sweet picture of her first time meeting Alexander.
I met Ian at {Sherri Shepherd’s} birthday bash.. he catered the event,” she wrote. “Cooked and served all the food and it was delicious!!!! Such a sweet and talented young man… Rest In Peace.”
We also send our love and support out to the King family, and will continue to share resources on suicide prevention. If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, please contact The National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.