Brian McKnight reportedly made no effort to reach out to his son, Niko, before his death, last week, according to Page Six. Niko, who had a publicly strained relationship with the singer, had been battling with cancer for over a year.
A source close to the situation told Page Six that Brian "did not contact or see Niko" and has also "not reached out to the family" in the wake of his passing. Instead, Niko “was surrounded by an abundance of love and support from those who truly mattered,” in his final days. This included his mother, Julie McKnight, his older brother, Brian McKnight Jr., and his wife, Carla, among other extended family members.
Brian McKnight has blasted his kids in public on several occasions in recent years. He even described them as a “product of sin" during a Q&A session on Instagram in 2024. “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 said at the time, as caught by Page Six.
Niko ended up responding to those remarks in the comments section of a post from The Shade Room. "I’m evil. That’s wild: The guy who used to make me clean his used condoms out his bathroom at 15 before Lisa got home is calling me evil Fashoooooo," he wrote.
Read More: Brian McKnight’s Son Niko Makes Disturbing Allegations Against Him After Being Called “Evil”
Brian McKnight's Kids
In the wake of Niko McKnight's passing, his brother, Brian Jr. put out a lengthy tribute for him on Instagram. “My favorite everything. I’ll live the rest of my life in a constant state of disbelief. My beautiful baby brother, I will love you until this plain ceases to exist. There is no me without you, so living just feels out of whack. The balance is gone, and will never be the same. The entire world feels bleak, and dim without you. I was the luckiest big brother in the universe. It almost seemed unfair at times,” Brian Jr. wrote.
He continued: “Though I’ll never understand this, I’m so glad you are no longer in pain, and are now in the aether, playing upon the string theory we both believe in. Wait for me there. This is now officially a Niko stan page. Brothers in arms. Forever. Long live Johnny Boy."
Their mother, Julie, commented on the post: "You protected him from his first breath to his last. I love you, Sun."
