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Brother-in-law of Martin Luther King Jr. dies at 83

Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., joins hands Monday with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, left, and her cousin Isaac Newton Farris as they sing "We Shall Overcome" during the Martin Luther King, Jr. commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., joins hands Monday with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, left, and her cousin Isaac Newton Farris as they sing "We Shall Overcome" during the Martin Luther King, Jr. commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

By Associated Press 2 min read

ATLANTA (AP) – The brother-in-law of Martin Luther King Jr. and a founding member of The Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change has died.

Isaac Newton Farris Sr., who suffered from prostate cancer and Parkinson’s disease, died at his Atlanta home on Saturday morning, his daughter Angela Farris-Watkins told The Associated Press. He was 83.

Farris married Christine King in a ceremony performed by Martin Luther King Jr. and their brother A.D. King on Aug. 19, 1960.

“He wasn’t caught up marrying into a prominent family,” Farris-Watkins said by phone. “He was secure in his own right.”

Farris was a successful entrepreneur and founder of Farris Color Visions. He also served a project manager for the construction of The King Center.