Brian McKnight’s son, Niko McKnight, has died two years after being diagnosed with cancer. He was 32.
There have long been reports of an alleged feud between Brian and his eldest children, and the R&B star has been open about their complicated relationship in the past.
It was Brian’s brother, Claude McKnight, who shared the news of Niko’s passing in a video posted to TikTok.
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“This morning I found out that my nephew Niko McNight passed away,” Claude began.
“He’d been bravely battling cancer for the last two years or so and I have a lot of feelings right now.”
He described his nephew as an “amazing kid” who was “quirky and curious and ridiculously talented”.
”Had a great eye as a photographer and just one of those kids that at least in my estimation of somebody you always wanted to be around and so it really sucks that he’s no longer with us,” Claude said.
He went on to explain that he doesn’t often post serious videos or “family things”, but he felt it was important that he shared Niko’s “legacy”, adding that he didn’t want to comment on any of the “family drama that has existed for quite some time”.
“I don’t know exactly what was going on there… 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,” he explained.
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“I know [Niko] had a lot inside, a lot eating at him for a long, long, long time… what I do know is he’s out of pain now, and so I can rejoice in the fact that he no longer has to go through the chemo and the radiation and everything else.
“But I just want to uplift that young man and say we will see him again one day.”
Niko was the son of Brian and his ex-wife Julie McKnight, and worked as a singer, guitarist and photographer.
He revealed his cancer diagnosis in January 2024, sharing on Instagram that he had been diagnosed with “the big C”.
“It’s been one hell of a ride so far but things are looking better now than they were before so cheers to that,” he wrote alongside an image of him in a hospital room.
“Shout out to everyone in my corner and a super shoutout to my wife @phoenixelbow for saving my life (that’s a story for another day) let’s keep this momentum going and keep one prayer in the chamber for me yall.
“S—‘s gonna get better, i know it. also, don’t treat me different. i need looooove at all times.”
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In December that same year, he shared a post saying he was feeling “the best” he’d felt since coming home from the hospital and he “finally” felt like he had a “grasp” on things.
“I didn’t eat a single thing for 3 months straight. Surviving on TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition) for that long does something to you,” he wrote.
“But now I feel like I can see the light from the other side of the woods. Not out of them yet. But it’s looking pretty good so far.”
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