Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, where he was staying while supporting a sanitation workers' strike. King was 39 years old at the time of his death. James Earl Ray, a fugitive, was arrested and convicted of the murder. King's assassination was a tragic turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and sparked widespread grief and unrest across the United States. His death highlighted the intense racial tensions of the era, but his legacy of advocating for nonviolence and racial equality continues to inspire generations.