USA MARTIN LUTHER KING HOLIDAYMartin Luther King III ( L ) and his wife Arndrea ( R ) show their daughter Yolanda Renee the tomb of slain civil rights leader Rev . Martin Luther King Jr . , and his wife Coretta Scott King after laying a wreath on his federal holiday in Atlanta , Georgia , USA , on 17 January 2011 . Martin Luther King Holiday is always celebrated on the third Monday in January and therefore lays close to King ' s birthday on 15 January . The slain civil rights leader would have been 82 - years - old this year . EPA / ERIK S . LESSER < 뉴스 의 새 시대 , 연합뉴스 Live > < 모바일 애플리케이션 > < 포토 매거진 >< 저작권자 ( c ) 연합뉴스 . 무단 전재 - 재배 포금 지 . >