Regina King is opening up about the loss of her son Ian Alexander, Jr.
If you were unaware, the 54-year-old Oscar-winning actress’ son died by suicide at the age of 26 in January 2022.
In a new interview, Regina shared how her son’s passing changed her outlook on life and talked about keeping his memory alive.
Keep reading to find out more…“I one thousand percent live in the moment more,” Regina told Haute Living. “I don’t know if that’s something that just comes with time, or with pain, or with the pandemic — probably all of it. But I feel it.”
Regina went on to say that she’s keeping Ian‘s memory alive in the form of her new orange wine line MianU – short for “me and you” – which she launched earlier this month.
Ian was the first person that introduced Regina to orange wine and the script on the bottle is in his handwriting.
“It was kind of an epiphany I had, that came from a place of continuing to create memories in Ian’s spirit,” Regina said of the wine line. “I’m still here, on this plane, separate from him, and I’m surrounded by people talking about their children — engagements, weddings, new chapters — [while mine is gone].”
She continued, “I still love talking about Ian: I just don’t have the chance to create new memories in the way they do. But I’m not focused on that. This is my way of creating something new, together.”
Regina also said that the wine is about “connection” and “there being a connection in every moment.”
“Every time a cork opens, or every time I’m pouring a glass, I’m thinking of Ian,” Regina explained. “I’m thinking of him 24/7 anyway, but always in this moment, I can see his face. And for people who never got the chance to dance with Ian, maybe they’ll be curious. Maybe they’ll ask. His name is right there, in the middle of it all. He’ll never be forgotten… If you see me, you see Ian.”
Back in 2022, Regina opened up about grieving Ian.