Brian McKnight’s Estranged Son, Niko, Dies Of Cancer

Brian McKnight’s Estranged Son, Niko, Has Passed Away After Battling Cancer For 2 Years

Brian McKnight‘s brother, Claude, delivered some heartbreaking news in a video he shared on TikTok. He says his nephew, Niko, is dead after battling cancer for two years.

Niko’s death is even sadder as we know that his relationship with his father hadn’t landed in a great place, as they never got the chance to bury the hatchet.

Brian’s relationship with his children has been a big conversation in recent years, especially after he called them “a product of sin” at one point. Niko at the time replied, exposing his father’s alleged dirty laundry. He alluded to his father’s infidelity while he’s in a relationship with a woman named Lisa.

Very sad to see that Brian McKnights son Niko McKnight passed away from cancer. RIP to him. pic.twitter.com/Wyn9jF7RLi

— Bing bop boom boom boom bop bam (@kimkim579) May 30, 2025

Sometimes last year, there seemed to be an understanding going on when Brian took to instagram and said he had stepped in to get Niko the proper help with his health, along with his wife Leilani. Saying that “even though all this nonsense has been going on for years—we jumped into action.”

But it was cut short as the 55-year-old says he made arrangements for Niko, gave his medical records to the best doctors, and more but was somehow allegedly stopped by his ex-wife, Julie McKnight.

The singer and songwriter claims she gave him a “very hostile” call and told him Niko didn’t need his help so he stepped back. “I can only imagine that if that help came from me, that it would go against the strong narrative that’s being pushed out there about me,” Brian said.

In tweets from last year, Niko said he really wanted to reconcile with his father due to his health but didn’t get a good response.

“I just wanted to bury the hatchet and hear him say he loves me and he told me he couldn’t arbitrarily tell me he loves me. Still cuts so deep,” he said on X.

“We were bad children, sure. Yes. But my sisters have always deserved better. They don’t deserve this outright disrespect. Hate us all day. You don’t get to be a piece of sh*t forever and still skate by with all that we know,” he wrote in a follow up post.

“We saved that man from federal prison. That’s all I’m going to say. But after all of this, I still love him so much because I know there’s my dad in there somewhere. But he’s a drone now. So f*ckin sad. Miss you, Dad. Marcus Aurelius. Superman,” he added.