Niko McKnight, the estranged son of R&B crooner Brian McKnight, has died. He was 32 years old.
Brian McKnight’s brother, Claude McKnight, revealed the tragic news on TikTok that his nephew Niko McKnight succumbed to cancer two years after he was diagnosed with the disease.
@claudemcknight I’m devastated at my nephews passing. If you comment please do do in love, and NOT at what you may have heard about the relationship my brother had/has with his kids. Thank you 🙏🏾 #nephew #cancersucks #rip #love #family
♬ original sound – Claude Mcknight
In the video clip, Claude McKnight said, “I’m devastated at my nephews’ passing. If you comment please do do in love, and NOT at what you may have heard about the relationship my brother had/has with his kids. Thank you.”
Niko McKnight revealed his cancer diagnosis in January 2024 after being peppered with questions about his alarming weight loss.
During the three-minute TikTok video, Claude McKnight was driving while saying he was contemplating posting about his nephew’s death “all day.”
“As the day wore on I realized, how could I not post about this? This morning I found out that my nephew Niko McNight passed away,” he said.
“He’d been bravely battling cancer for the last two years or so and have a lot of feelings right now… Niko was one of those amazing kids who was quirky and curious and ridiculously talented. Amazing singer and amazing guitar player. 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 McKnight said he seldom posts on social media but wanted to address Niko’s “legacy” and “how amazing he was” instead of how and when the “family drama” emanated.
“So here’s the thing. I don’t know exactly what was going on there. I know what I’ve seen. I know what I’ve heard from all parties involved and I try not to judge,” he said. “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.”
Claude continued, saying that his nephew Niko’s battle with his father “a lot eating at him for a long, long, long time.”
In a moment of self-reflection, Brian McKnight’s brother admitted that “I may have contributed to what happened with him. What I do know is he’s out of pain now. So I can rejoice in the fact that he no longer has to go through chemo and the radiation and everything else. I just want to uplift that young man and say we will see him again one day. I love you Niko,” he concluded.
How the interfamilial strife began between Brian McKnight and his son he shared with ex-wife Julie McKnight remains a mystery. Niko McKnight was a singer, guitarist and photographer and had several stage performances alongside his brother as he and Brian Jr. promoted their group McKnight.
Later in life, Brian McKnight, 55, caused an uproar on social media when he characterized his oldest children — he has seven total, including two stepchildren — as being products “of sin” during an Instagram video post.
He said then that he’d always “been there for my children every step of the way until recently,” clarifying, “I’m not abandoning them. We’re estranged.”
Brian McKnight continued on, saying that “In order to live a life that you love, you have to get rid of the evil and the negativity — even if that evil and negativity is related [to you].”
He has yet to publicly address his son’s passing.
