Martin Luther King, Jr. was 39 years old when he died.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, and he died on April 4, 1968, making him only 39 years old at the time of his death. If he were still alive today, he would be 81. In his short life he accomplished such fantastic goals, that we cannot help but wonder what he would have done if he would have lived a longer life.
King was a very popular man, and so many individuals loved him dearly. However, some people opposed the work that he did, and they did not want to see blacks have the same rights as white people. One man, James Earl Ray, thought that he would be able to stop King's works by killing him. King was in Memphis, Tennessee to help workers who were on strike. He was standing on the balcony of his motel, when Ray shot him.
King was rushed to the hospital, but he could not be saved and passed away. However, his legacy lived on. While we are not yet living in a perfect society, significant advances have been made in the private and public sectors to ensure that people of all colors, races, and backgrounds are entitled to the same rights and treatment. James Earl Ray could never kill the impact that King had on the people of his time and those who would hear about him in the future.