Brian McKnight’s Estranged Son Niko McKnight Dead at 32
Brian McKnight’s estranged son, Niko McKnight, has died following a two-year battle with cancer. He was 32 years old.
The heartbreaking news was announced by the Grammy-nominated singer’s brother, Claude McKnight, in an emotional TikTok video uploaded on Friday (May 30).
“This morning I found out that my nephew Niko McKnight passed away,” Claude said, visibly shaken. “He’d been bravely battling cancer for the last two years or so… It really sucks that he’s no longer with us.”
Claude remembered Niko as “ridiculously talented,” noting his gifts as a singer, guitarist, and photographer. “Niko was one of those amazing kids… somebody you always wanted to be around,” he said.
While addressing the public discourse surrounding Brian McKnight’s estrangement from his eldest children, Claude asked for compassion. “Please do [comment] in love, and NOT at what you may have heard about the relationship my brother had/has with his kids,” he captioned the video.
Niko was the son of Brian and his ex-wife, Julie McKnight. He and his older brother, Brian Jr., once performed in a group called MCKNIGHT alongside their father, though their relationship later became strained.
In 2019, Brian addressed the rift, saying, “I’m not abandoning them. We’re estranged.” While in more recent years, tensions resurfaced after Brian publicly referred to his four eldest children as a “product of sin” in a 2023 Instagram video, stating, “You have to get rid of the evil and the negativity—even if that evil and negativity is related [to you].”
Despite the family turmoil, Niko remained hopeful during his health journey. In a January 2024 Instagram post revealing his diagnosis, he wrote, “Shout out to everyone in my corner and a super shoutout to my wife… let’s keep this momentum going… s---s gonna get better, I know it.”
By December, Niko shared online that he was finally “sleeping a full night again” and “eating without PTSD” after surviving on TPN for three months. “I feel like I can see the light from the other side of the woods,” he wrote.
Claude concluded his video with love: “I just want to uplift that young man… I love you, Niko.”
