Regina King’s son Ian Alexander Jr. has died by suicide: He “cared so deeply about the happiness of others”

Actress Regina King is left devastated following the tragic loss of her young son, Ian Alexander Jr. According to PEOPLE, the 26-year-old died by suicide just away celebrating his 26th birthday. “Our family is devastated at the deepest level by the loss of Ian,” King said in a statement. “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, 51, shared her only son, Alexander Jr., with her ex-husband, Ian Alexander Sr. For the actress, her successful career was nothing compared to the joy she felt for her dear son.

Ian was her biggest source of pride as she previously told the outlet that he was “an amazing man.” She added, “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.”

The deceased followed in his record producer dad’s footsteps as he was a deejay. He was extremely close to his mother and even honored her with a touching Instagram post last year on 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,” read the post. 

“But to have you as my mother is the greatest gift I could ask for. To be all that you are while always having the time to be there, love, and support me unconditionally is truly remarkable.

The whole marvel universe ain’t got s— on you, your the real superhero! Love you, mom! This day and every day YO DAY!!” it continued. The two were so close that they even got matching tattoos that read, “unconditional love” in Aramaic. While Ian got it inked on his shoulder, his mom chose to display it on her arm.

During an interview on The View in 2017, King opened up about the tattoo saying, “We were taking Kabbalah classes. 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.” King was often seen on the red carpet alongside her son, including her Golden Globes appearance in 2019 where Ian called her “super mom.”

“She’s just a super mom,” he previously 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.” Even back then King shared that her son made her “happier than anything in the whole world.” Sadly, she lost him too early.