Brian McKnight has damaged his silence following the dying of his estranged son Niko McKnight, who died at 32 final week after a battle with most cancers. Nonetheless, the R&B singer’s assertion didn’t seem to hit the proper be aware with followers.
Tuesday night, the 55-year-old singer took to Instagram to deal with his son’s dying and name out among the narratives round his household dynamics being pushed by others on-line, particularly by his brother Claude McKnight, who was among the many first to publicly announce Niko’s dying.
“A giant huge because of Claude McKnight’s tasteless and self aggrandizing announcement on TikTok, that frankly was not his to make,” his prolonged publish started each within the caption and as a voiceover in a video. “For my part, he inserted himself and used Niko’s dying as a chance, as a substitute of letting him move with respect and dignity. It has as a substitute was a circus, a mockery of a life now misplaced, making this tragedy right into a actuality present kind drama.”
After Niko died, McKnight stated he and his household traveled to Maui to rejoice his life with a personal memorial the place they remembered “all the nice instances” they shared. Then he recalled a not-so-rosy reminiscence.
“The final time he and I spoke, we provided him all the assistance we may present; we had the primary oncologist on deck for him and a workforce of specialists on standby with personal care in our dwelling. He and his mom declined,” McKnight claimed. “The door of communication was open and remained open till his dying.”
The McKnight household’s advanced dynamics have been well-known for years. In 2024, the singer made headlines when he referred to Niko and his siblings as “merchandise of sin” to justify distancing himself from his first 4 youngsters upon remarrying.
Niko, who was battling most cancers on the time, pushed again towards his father’s statements on social media and highlighted previous grievances and cases of harm. His mom, McKnight’s ex-wife, singer Julie McKnight, referred to as the feedback emotionally and mentally abusive.
On the time, McKnight accused Julie of barring him from contributing to Niko’s care, which she referred to as a false narrative. In the meantime, Niko posted on X that he simply needed to listen to from his father throughout such a making an attempt time.
“After I was about to die within the hospital from issues from my most cancers, I simply needed to bury the hatchet and listen to him say he loves me and he informed me he couldn’t arbitrarily inform me he loves me,” he posted. “Nonetheless cuts so deep.”
In his publish on Tuesday, McKnight doubled down that he was denied the power to assist his son.
“To the self-proclaimed ‘mama bear, ‘ might God have mercy in your soul for not permitting him to simply accept that assist and never permitting him to make use of that line of communication,” he continued. “There may be nice consolation in figuring out God is aware of the TRUTH and the totality of the WHOLE story. I’m actually grateful for the immense peace God has given me. I’ve left every thing in HIS palms. I’ve a transparent conscience. The one judgment that issues is God’s.”
Feedback have been turned off on the publish, although that hasn’t stopped many from expressing their ideas on the fraught assertion. Many social media customers have been calling out the assertion for being extra about McKnight than the precise tragedy, for placing down a mom mourning her son, and extra.
“For everybody saying that we don’t know the entire story, that’s not the purpose,” wrote a person on Threads. “The purpose is, his son simply died of most cancers, and he used this video to speak about himself and take photographs at folks – moderately than expressing grief and celebrating his life. This video is actually about him, not Niko.”
A person on X added, “…in case you are talking poorly on the mom of your youngster and blaming everybody else however your self whereas your late son isn’t even buried within the floor but, I’m wishing you the worst!”
McKnight is a father of eight, together with his organic and stepchildren. After sharing Brian Jr. and Niko along with his ex-wife Julie, he additionally has a daughter, Briana McKnight, and one other son, Clyde McKnight, from different previous relationships. In 2017, he remarried to Dr. Leilani Malia Mendoza and has welcomed a son collectively in January 2023 named Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Jr. (The singer modified his authorized identify to match that of his most up-to-date son.) The couple, sadly, skilled the loss of a kid in infancy, and he’s stepfather to Mendoza’s two youngsters from a earlier relationship.
