Cole Nikolas “Niko” McKnight, son of 16-time Grammy nominee Brian McKnight, died Thursday (May 29) following a two-year cancer battle. He was 32 years old.
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Julie McKnight confirmed her son’s death Friday (May 30) in a statement posted to social media. “Nikolas was a cherished husband, son, brother, grandson, uncle, and nephew whose warmth, laughter, and love touched the lives of all who knew him,” she wrote. “His passing is an immeasurable loss to his family and all those who held him dear.”
Brian McKnight Has Not Spoken Out About Son Niko McKnight’s Death
Niko McKnight’s death comes just one year after his father, R&B crooner Brian McKnight, labeled his oldest children “products of sin” in a social media post.
Niko hit back in a series of posts on X/Twitter, writing that the “One Last Cry” singer, 55, rebuffed his reconciliation attempts as the younger McKnight was undergoing cancer treatments.
“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,” Niko wrote. “Still cuts so deep.”
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 (@ewitsniko) April 18, 2024
Claude McKnight Pays Tribute to “Ridiculously Talented” Nephew
Hours before Niko McKnight’s mother confirmed his death, Brian McKnight’s older brother, Claude, got candid in a video posted to TikTok.
“Niko was one of those amazing kids who was quirky and curious and ridiculously talented… just one of those kids that, at least in my estimation, was somebody you always wanted to be around,” Claude said. “So it really sucks that he’s no longer with us.”
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The Take 6 founder, 62, acknowledged the friction in his family, but did not elaborate.
“There was so much hurt going on, and a lot of things didn’t get resolved,” he said.
Of Niko, Claude added, “I know that kid had a lot inside, a lot eating at him for a long, long time… What I do know is, he’s out of pain now. I just want to uplift that man and say we will see him again one day. I love you, Niko. Uncle Claude.”
Featured image by Tibrina Hobson/WireImage
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