Actress Regina King Closes Out 2024 With Tribute To Late Son

Actress Regina King is bidding 2024 farewell with a touching tribute to her late son.

The Oscar-winning actress and standout star of Netflix’s “The Harder They Fall” compiled 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.

Using Alexander’s career as a music artist for inspiration, King went on to share seven of her favorite albums from the past year on the social media app.

In a caption on her Instagram post, the “Shirley” star explained that the number of albums held special significance to herself and her late son.

“As we close out the year, I wanted to share 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 past year’s highlights.”

Some of her choices 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 closed out her post with a warm holiday greeting.

“Wishing you and your families the faith to believe, the energy to create, and the love to sustain a peaceful and joyous holiday season. May that faith, love, and joy carry through into the new year and beyond.”

On January 21, 2022, the entertainment world was rocked by the sudden passing of King’s son, Ian Alexander, Jr., at just 26 years old.

Writers for Love B. Scott, an entertainment blog, were the first to report the sad news with a post many felt was insensitive, especially as King herself had not spoken on the matter.

A backlash ensued and the post was ultimately removed.

One day later, King would release a statement via her representative confirming the tragic news.

“Our family is devastated at the deepest level by the loss of Ian,” it read.

“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.”

Along with being a recording artist, Alexander was also a disc jockey. He often performed under the stage name, Desduné.

Less than two weeks before his passing, he released his final single, “Green Eyes.”

Following her loss, King would take a two-year break from the acting world.

She would slowly re-enter the spotlight in early 2024 with “Shirley,” a Netflix production based on the life of the first Black woman candidate for Vice President, Shirley Chisholm.

In a “Good Morning America” interview that aired in March, King would open up on the loss of Alexander and how it affected her moving forward.

“I’m a different person now than I was January 19th,” she told Robin Roberts, bringing up Ian’s actual date of death.

“I understand that grief is love that has no place to go. I know that it’s important to me to honor Ian in the totality of who he is, speak about him in the present because he is always with me. The joy and happiness that he gave all of us.”

Though time would allow her to process Ian’s choice, King admitted that doing so didn’t so easy.

“I respect and understand that he didn’t want to be here anymore,” the actress shared, “and that’s a hard thing for other people to receive, because they did not live our experience, [or] live Ian’s journey. I was so angry with God. Why would that weight be given to Ian?”

One week after her GMA sit down, King would visit “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to promote “Shirley.”

The talk show host, known for his wit and sarcasm, instead greeted the actress with grace as he asked her how she was feeling at that exact moment.

With a genuine smile, she responded, “Right now, I’m good.”

Kimmel then tried to acknowledge King’s tough year but got choked up along the way. This would lead the actress to reach for his hand.

“It’s good to see you, Jimmy,” she continued.

After a moment, he responded, “It’s good to see you, too.”

While speaking with Roberts, King stated that she had grown tired of focusing on Ian’s passing and instead, wanted to celebrate the time she had with him.

“My favorite thing about myself is being Ian’s Mom,” she noted, continuing, “I know that it’s important to me to honor Ian in the totality of who he is, speak about him in the present because he is always with me. The joy and happiness that he gave all of us.”