Niko McKnight, the eldest son of R&B singer Brian McKnight, has died at age 32 after a prolonged battle with cancer. News of Niko’s passing was revealed by his uncle, Claude McKnight, who shared a heartfelt tribute in a TikTok video on Friday. “This morning I found out that my nephew Niko McKnight passed away,” Claude said, appearing visibly emotional as he drove and recorded the message. He praised Niko’s strength during two years of fighting an aggressive form of cancer, and celebrated the kind of person his nephew was. “Niko was one of those amazing kids who was quirky and curious and ridiculously talented,” Claude said. “Amazing singer and amazing guitar player. …One of those kids that you always wanted to be around, and so it really sucks that he’s no longer with us.”
Niko McKnight was Brian McKnight’s son from a previous relationship, and had been estranged from his famous father in recent years amid well-publicized family tension. Brian McKnight, 55, has been open about the rift with his older children. In 2019, he said, “I’m not abandoning them. We’re estranged,” and later controversially referred to his first four kids as “a product of my past” while focusing on his new family. Niko and his siblings had publicly pushed back on their dad’s statements, and the discord became a topic of discussion on social media. Despite the strained relations, many fans hoped the family might reconcile during Niko’s illness. Brian McKnight has not yet commented on Niko’s passing; as news spread, supporters extended condolences to all sides of the McKnight family.
According to posts on Niko’s own Instagram, he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2023. In a January 2024 update, Niko wrote that he had been through a harrowing journey but was hopeful, saying “things are looking better now than they were before… keep one prayer in the chamber for me y’all.” By late last year, he shared that he was feeling the best he had in a long time, after enduring multiple surgeries and treatments. Loved ones describe Niko as a creative soul – a musician and photographer – with an easygoing spirit and a warm laugh. His uncle Claude urged people to remember Niko for his legacy and not to dwell on family drama. “If you comment, please do so in love, and not at what you may have heard about… my brother’s relationship with his kids,” Claude wrote, asking for compassion.
Friends and fans in the R&B community have posted tributes celebrating Niko’s life, some sharing clips of him singing and playing guitar. Funeral arrangements have not been made public at this time. Niko McKnight is survived by his wife, his siblings, and other family members. Amid the tragedy, there’s hope that healing and unity might find a way into the McKnight family’s story. As Claude tenderly put it, “Niko’s spirit and talent touched everyone who knew him. We’re all going to miss that light.”
