Why Regina King Reads Her Late Son's Journals: 'I Can't Stop'

Regina King's Spiritual Connection with Her Late Son

Regina King, an acclaimed Oscar-winning actress, has been sharing her journey of maintaining a spiritual connection with her late son, Ian Alexander Jr. The 54-year-old actress opened up about how she continues to feel close to her only child, who passed away by suicide in 2022 at the age of 26.

King revealed that she still keeps all of Ian’s journals and often reads them when she is in a meditative space. She described how she savors each moment, as she doesn’t want to finish reading his journals. These journals have become a way for her to stay connected to her son.

Ian Alexander Jr., who was a DJ and a musician, sometimes included drawings in his journals. One particular drawing inspired the letter "M" in the logo for MianU, King’s new brand of orange wine. The name of the wine itself is a tribute to her son, as his name appears in the middle of the letters "M" for “me” and “U” for “you.”

“Ian had an ‘M’ drawn in there so beautifully,” King said. “It kind of looks like a music note on one end.” This drawing was sent to her manager, whose brother had previously worked on album covers for Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and Fleetwood Mac's 1975 self-titled album. When she received feedback from her manager, King felt a deep connection to her son. “I literally felt Ian say, ‘F--- yeah! That’s who’s doing our label.’ It is something that I know he’d brag about.”

King, who was 25 when she and her ex-husband, Ian Alexander Sr., welcomed their only child, shared that her son rarely spoke about his depression. Despite this, she and her son had many conversations about his mental health. “Ian and I, we talk so much,” she said, referring to him in the present tense. “From going to all the therapists and psychiatrists, he never presented that (side of him), but we would see it. We would talk about it. His father, me, some of his friends. So those very, very, very close to him were aware of Ian’s depression and how long he struggled with it.”

King recalled the pain of watching her son struggle with his mental health. “It’s hard watching your son go through those bouts of just low. And you’re doing all of the things (you can to help), but you have to accept that they don’t want to be here anymore.”

Although King never envisioned herself selling wine, she sees her new business venture as another way to stay connected with her son. It also brings back a cherished memory of when Ian encouraged her to try a glass of orange wine for the first time. “It came from this place of trying to find a way to create new memories with Ian,” she explained. “Talking to friends, their kids are growing up and doing new things. And I don’t have new memories, so instead of being in the sea of woe, I decided that doesn’t necessarily have to be.”