Regina King is mourning the loss of her son, musician Ian Alexander Jr., who died by suicide at age 26.  A statement from King read:  “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.”

Ian had just celebrated his 26th birthday last Wednesday.  He was King’s only child, whom she shared with her ex-husband, record producer Ian Alexander Sr.  Alexander Jr. was an up-and-coming musician and DJ, who performed as “Desduné” according to his Instagram page. He had released a new single, “Green Eyes,” on Jan. 7 and had performances scheduled in Los Angeles later this month, including at Avalon Hollywood’s Breaking Sound event on Jan. 28.

The 51-year-old King and her son were extremely close and even had matching tattoos together that read “unconditional love” in Aramaic.  The mother and son often attended red carpet events together. King previously told People that her bond with her son meant everything to her:  “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.”  On her 50th birthday last year, Ian wrote a heartfelt tribute to his mother, sharing in an Instagram post: “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.”

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