Brian McKnight’s Son Niko Passes Away at 32 After Battle with Cancer

The McKnight family just received an unexpected and tragic piece of news. Niko McKnight, who is the estranged son of R&B singer Brian McKnight, has lost his battle against cancer at the young age of 32, only two years after he was diagnosed.
The information was revealed in a heart-rending video on TikTok, produced by Niko’s uncle, Claude McKnight. Using very sincere words, Claude explained Niko’s character as very special and deeply loved.

“Niko was a total standout – unusual, inquisitive, and an insanely talented guy,” Claude said. “He was a brilliant singer, an amazing guitar player, and his eye for photography was simply out of this world. You just had to be with him all the time.”

While Claude is of the opinion that usually it’s best not to share personal or serious family issues public-wise, in this particular case, he was convinced that talking about Niko and what he left behind was the right essence of it. He turned his thoughts to Niko’s skills and character and therein diverted attention away from the stormy family relationships that have often been the news of the day.

“In every story there is always the three sides – yours, mine, and real – a bit in the middle,” Claude related the complexity of McKnight clan affairs. “However, at present, the focus is on Niko. All I want now is to be positive”

Claude was also sure that Niko had been shouldering a lot of negative emotions over the years and didn’t hesitate to delve into the tragic events that unfolded, physically and emotionally. He even admitted that he might have been a part of the problem, “I may have contributed to what happened with him”, and was consoled by the thought that Niko was finally free from all the suffering.

Niko was one of the children Brian McKnight shared with his ex-wife Julie McKnight. Despite that at one time he and his brother were up till playing as a musical duo MCKNIGHT, Niko’s relationship with hi strictly on p fathert has of late been difficult. The family fallout came to the fore when Brian, in a video post of a 2024 talk show, referred to his sons as “products of sin” publicly.

In the middle of grieving and not able to fix the family problems, Claude made a decision to concentrate on love and the process of recovery. “We will see him again one day,” he said ending with the word of hope. Niko’s death is a sad remainder of why it is important to care for each other, to stay connected, and to by remembering their good deeds to honor those that are no longer with us-light up the dark of the past.