As a child, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was wise beyond his years but also sensitive and suffered from severe depression. At the age of 12, he became distraught by the death of his grandmother and attempted suicide by jumping out of a second story window. King continued to be prone to bouts of depression as he aged. His wife, Coretta, was his greatest supporter, and his dearest friends, including Ralph Abernathy, were always by his side.
King’s life was constantly in jeopardy. His home was bombed; he was attacked during nonviolent demonstrations, and he was even stabbed in the chest by a woman with a letter opener during a book signing. King knew that he and his family were “chosen” and that his activism would eventually kill him. He always put his faith in God.
Toward the end of his life, truths about his flaws were revealed and his character was questioned. The constant stress had taken its toll. After his assassination, the autopsy revealed that King’s heart had aged at twice the rate it should have.