actress Regina King says goodbye to 2024 with a touching tribute to her late son.
The Oscar-winning actress and breakout star of Netflix’s The Harder They Fall put together a special Instagram post on Christmas Day to honor Ian Alexander Jr., a recording artist and King’s only child.
Alexander sadly took his own life in January 2022.
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Regina King’s “perfect” tribute to her son
Taking inspiration from Alexander’s career as a music artist, King shared seven of her favorite albums from the past year on the social media app.
In a caption to her Instagram post, the “Shirley” star explained that the number of albums was particularly meaningful to her and her late son.
“As the year ends, I wanted to share with you my seven favorite albums of 2024,” King wrote.
“Why 7?” She continued: “Because seven is Ian’s favorite number and the number of completion – a perfect way to reflect on the highlights of the past year.”
Their selections included Kendrick Lamar’s recent “GNX,” Tyler the Creator’s “Chromakopia,” Willow Smith’s “Empathogen” and the soundtrack to the biblical comedy “The Book of Clarence.”
King concluded her post with a warm holiday greeting.
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“I wish you and your families the faith to believe, the energy to create and the love for a peaceful and joyful Christmas season. May this faith, this love and this joy endure in the new year and beyond.”
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The tragic loss of Regina King’s son Ian Alexander Jr. and its aftermath
On January 21, 2022, the entertainment world was rocked by the sudden death of King’s son Ian Alexander Jr. at just 26 years old.
Authors for Dear B. Scottan entertainment blog, was the first to report the sad news with a post that resonated with many was insensitiveespecially since King himself had not commented on the subject.
There was a backlash and the post was eventually removed.
A day later, King published one opinion through her representative who confirmed the tragic news.
“Our family is deeply devastated by the loss of Ian,” it said.
“He is such a shining light who cares so deeply about the happiness of others. Our family asks for respectful consideration during this private time.”
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In addition to being a recording artist, Alexander was also a disc jockey. He often performed under the stage name Desduné.
He released his final single, “Green Eyes,” less than two weeks before his death.
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King finds her way back to acting after losing her son
Following her loss, King would take a two-year break from the acting world.
She would slowly return to the spotlight in early 2024 with “Shirley,” a Netflix production based on the life of the first black candidate for vice president, Shirley Chisholm.
In a “Good Morning America” interview that aired in March, King spoke about the loss of Alexander and how it affected her future.
“I’m a different person now than I was on January 19th,” she told Robin Roberts, mentioning Ian’s actual date of death.
“I understand that grief is love that has no place to go. I know it is important to me to honor Ian in his entirety and to talk about him in the present because he is always with me. The joy and happiness that means.” He has given to all of us.
Although it would give her time to process Ian’s decision, King admitted it wasn’t that easy.
“I respect and understand that he didn’t want to be here anymore,” the actress shared, “and that’s hard for other people to accept because they haven’t lived our experience (or) Ian’s journey. “It was me” so angry with God. Why should Ian be given this weight?”
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A heartfelt moment between King and Jimmy Kimmel moved everyone to tears
A week after their GMA meeting, King visited “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to promote “Shirley.”
The talk show host, known for his wit and sarcasm, instead greeted the actress with grace and asked her how she was feeling at that exact moment.
With a sincere smile, she replied, “I’m fine at the moment.”
Kimmel then tried to acknowledge King’s tough year, but found himself embarrassed. This would result in the actress reaching for his hand.
“Good to see you, Jimmy,” she continued.
After a moment he replied, “It’s good to see you too.”
King remains “proud” to be “Ian’s mother.”
While speaking to Roberts, King explained that she had grown tired of focusing on Ian’s death and instead wanted to celebrate the time she spent with him.
“What I like most about myself is being Ian’s mother,” she noted, continuing, “I know it’s important to me to honor Ian in his entirety and talk about him in the present because he’s always with me “The joy and happiness that he gave to all of us.”
