Niko McKnight, the 32-year-old estranged son of ’90s R&B icon Brian McKnight, died on May 29 after a lengthy battle with cancer, according to a statement his mother, singer, and photographer Julie McKnight, released on social media.
McKnight wrote in her statement, “Nikolas was a cherished husband, son, brother, grandson, uncle, and nephew whose warmth, laughter, and love touched the lives of all who knew him. Nikolas was a self taught artist of music and photography. His passing is an immeasurable loss to his family and all those who held him dear.”
Julie McKnight also requested that the public give the family “privacy and continued prayers” before concluding, “Mama Bear and the entire family appreciate the outpouring of love and support from friends, fans, and the public,” Billboard reports.
Ahead of the release of the statement, Claude McKnight, Niko’s uncle and the lead singer of the a capella group Take 6, said in a video posted to TikTok that his nephew had been “bravely battling cancer for the past two years or so.”
“Niko was one of those amazing kids — quirky and curious and ridiculously talented,” Claude continued. “Amazing singer, amazing guitar player. Had a great eye as a photographer. And one of those kids, at least in my estimation, that you always wanted to be around, and so it really sucks that he’s no longer with us.”
Per a report from People Magazine, Claude also briefly addressed the relationship between Niko and his father in the video, but distanced himself from it.
“So here’s the thing. I don’t know exactly what was going on there. I know what I’ve seen. I know what I’ve heard from all parties involved and I try not to judge,” he said in the video. “I just try to be as loving to each person as I can be because apparently there’s so much hurt going on — or was so much hurt going on that a lot of things didn’t get resolved.”
Claude concluded, “I may have contributed to what happened with him. What I do know is he’s out of pain now. So I can rejoice in the fact that he no longer has to go through chemo and the radiation and everything else. I just want to uplift that young man and say we will see him again one day. I love you Niko.”
Brian McKnight, Niko’s father, has yet to comment on the death of his son, after he seemingly disowned Niko, Brianna, Clyde, and Brian McKnight Jr on social media after he married his wife, Leliani, calling them all “products of sin.”
Furthermore, in April 2024, McKnight claimed that Julie made him stop contributing to Niko’s cancer treatments, which she called “a false narrative.”
Niko, at the time, took his mother’s side, commenting via an update to his Twitter account that all he wanted was for his father to tell him without preconditions that he loved him.
“When I was about to die in the hospital from complications from my cancer, I just wanted to bury the hatchet and hear him say he loves me and he told me he couldn’t arbitrarily tell me he loves me. Still cuts so deep,” Niko wrote.
Niko McKnight is survived by his parents, his wife, siblings, and extended family members.
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