Overview
- Brian McKnight Jr. said in a televised interview with Marc Lamont Hill that his father told Niko, “I can’t arbitrarily say that I love you,” when Niko sought those words near the end of his life.
- Niko, a photographer and musician, publicly disclosed a cancer diagnosis in January 2024 and died in May 2025 at age 32.
- Julie McKnight, Niko’s mother and Brian’s ex-wife, issued a new statement calling the alleged refusal heartbreaking and emphasizing a child’s need to feel unconditionally loved.
- Brian McKnight has said he tried to arrange specialist care for Niko but stopped after Julie intervened, a claim disputed by family members and by a source who told Page Six he did not contact or see Niko before his death.
- The allegation follows years of public estrangement, including McKnight’s name change to be “Sr.” to a newborn, comments calling his older children “products of sin,” and an October social-media celebration of a claimed defamation judgment that his son criticized.