On Monday, veteran actress Vivica A. Fox, one-quarter of the Fox Soul show Cocktails with Queens, shared an update about Regina King following the recent death of King’s son, Ian Alexander, Jr.
Fox visited her friend over the weekend and told her co-hosts, “She’s okay.” She went on to recall how she got a text that King wanted to see her and “immediately headed there.”
In a clip shared by The Shade Room and various other outlets, Fox emotionally relayed to Claudia Jordan, LisaRaye McCoy and Syleena Johnson how, while on the way to King’s home, she called a few people to get advice on how to comfort her. “I’m scared,” said Fox, recalling how she felt. “I don’t want to say something wrong.”
“She is so strong,” Fox claimed of King, who audiences have celebrated on TV and flm screens since she debuted as a teenager on 227 back in 1985. “More than anything else, I’m glad I got to hug her and look in her eyes. This has been absolutely one of the longest weekends that I’ve ever had in my life. It’s like I can’t stop crying.”
Fox said King asked her to share that she was aware of the outpouring of love she was receiving following Alexander’s death by suicide on Jan. 19, just days after his 26th birthday. His death was confirmed on Friday.
Tearfully, Fox told the trio, “I just pray that what we do more than anything else for our sons, for our children …Covid and everything has got everybody in a dark spot, in a dark place. If y’all see any signs of someone being in distress or if somebody reaches out to you that is maybe not having a good day … stop, take a moment, make sure they are okay.”
Fox added that the community of Black Hollywood was there for King at her home. “If you never, ever thought that the African American actresses, actors, love and support each other … I saw it last night. It made me so proud.”
As recently reported, a week before his death, Alexander shared on social media: “I don’t think Instagram is healthy for me.” It was his final tweet on Friday, Jan. 14.
In another post, the young musician wrote, “You know that episode of SpongeBob where they go inside his brain and it’s a bunch of mini spongebobs just losing their s—…..yea that one really hits home.”
Alexander’s death by suicide last week was confirmed by his mother in a statement. “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. Thank you.”
Ian was the only child of King and former husband Ian Alexander, Sr., to whom she was married for 10 years.
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