Decorated actress, Regina King's son, Ian Alexander Jr. died by suicide on Friday, January 21. He celebrated his 26th birthday on Wednesday. Ian was King's only child whom she shared with her ex-husband, record producer Ian Alexander Sr. Ian was a deejay. The manner of his death is not known at the moment.
"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," King said in a statement to PEOPLE. The circumstances surrounding Ian's death are not clear at the moment.
Regina King separated from Ian's father in 2007. At the time, the actress talked about being a single parent and admitted it was not easy. "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 said.
King and her son had matching tattoos that read 'unconditional love' in Aramaic, Ian's on his shoulder and his mother's on her arm.
Ian was close to his mother
Ian shared a close bond with his mom. On Regina King's 50th birthday last year, he paid tribute to her in a long post on Instagram. "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," he wrote.
LoveBScott was the first to break the news of Ian's death.
'Cannot imagine the pain Regina King is feeling right now'
Celebrities paid condolences and sent love to Regina and her family in the moment of grief. "Sending all of my love and condolences to Regina King. I pray that she's surrounded by healing energy," Marc Lamont Hill wrote.
