Niko McKnight, the son of R&B star Brian McKnight, passed away after a battle with cancer in May. He was only 32 years old. Niko’s uncle, Claude McKnight, broke the news. Claude made the announcement via his social media account on May 30, noting that Niko had been privately battling the disease for two years.
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Brian McKnight Slams His Brother Over Son’s Death Announcement
For the first time since Niko’s passing, Brian broke his silence. Calling out his brother for being an opportunist in his time of mourning.
“A big big thanks to Claude Mcknight’s tasteless and self-aggrandizing announcement on TikTok, that frankly was not his to make,” he wrote in a statement via the Shade Room. “In my opinion, he inserted himself and used Niko’s death as an opportunity, instead of letting him pass with respect and dignity. It has instead turned into a circus, a mockery of a life now lost, making this tragedy into a reality show-type drama.”
In his statement following Niko’s death, Claude revealed that there were a lot of unresolved issues between the father and son.
“I just try to be as loving to each person as I can be, because apparently there was so much hurt going on and a lot of things didn’t get resolved,” he said.
However, in the wake of his son’s death, Brian revealed that he offered to get private care for Niko as he battled the disease. But ultimately, Niko and his mother refused his offer.
“To the self-proclaimed mama bear, may God have mercy on your soul for not allowing him to accept that”.
Brian shared Niko with his ex-wife, Julie McKnight. The two parted ways in 2003 after 13 years of marriage. As a result, the relationship between Brian and Julie soured which ultimately affected the relationship that he had with Niko in his adult years.
