Regina King 'devastated' by her son's tragic death aged 26

Regina King

Oscar-winning actress, Regina King, has confirmed the news that her only son, Ian Alexander Jr, has passed away just days after turning 26.

Regina, who has starred in the likes of Miss Congeniality and A Cinderella Story, broke her silence on his death and paid tribute to the "bright light" he shared with the world.

Speaking to PEOPLE, Regina said, "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."

A photo posted by on

Ian is Regina's only son with ex-husband Ian Alexander Sr. The mother and son shared a close bond and often frequented events and red carpets together.

During the 2019 Golden Globes, Ian described his Hollywood mother as "super mom". He said, "She's just a super mom...

"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."

In a previous interview with Essence, Regina opened up about their love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXebOFhT9Og

She revealed, "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.

"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..."

Regina said being a parent to Ian was her greatest pride and joy. "When you experience it, it is the most fulfilling ever. So, that is the greatest part about me. Being a mom to Ian."

Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.

Celebrity writer

Georgia is a Celebrity and Royal Writer working across GoodTo and Woman & Home, and the Director and Founder of communications company Farq Media. Prior to this she was Online Editor at New! Magazine – managing all of their digital content and social media accounts. Where she interviewed all of the hottest reality TV stars and spent far too much time commuting to London. She trained at Nottingham Trent University – where she achieved First Class Honours in Print Journalism whilst juggling copious amounts of work experience, freelance writing, blogging and having far too much fun with the dance society.