UPDATE! R&B singer Brian McKnight has released a statement following his estranged son Cole “Niko” McKnight’s death. However, instead of honoring his son on social media, he took the opportunity to bash his brother Claude McKnight for announcing his death on TikTok.
Family Background
Niko, the son of Brian and his ex-wife Julie McKnight, was a talented singer, guitarist, and photographer. He had previously performed alongside his father and brother, Brian Jr., in their family group, MCKNIGHT. However, in recent years, Niko had been estranged from his father, who publicly referred to his older children as a “product of sin” and legally changed his name to match that of his newborn son with his current wife, Leilani Mendoza, effectively renouncing his eldest children.
Family Feud
Over the years, Niko and his father have gone back and forth on social media, but it wasn’t always bad blood between the family. Here’s where everything went wrong…
After Julie and McKnight got a divorce in 2003, he was still an active part of his sons’ lives. Niko even performed with his dad on FOX’s “The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet” in 2008. McKnight eventually married his second wife, Leilani Malia Mendoza in 2017. Just a couple years later, the family dynamics began shifting drastically.
Brian then came out in 2024, calling his eldest children a “product of sin,” which reignited flames between the estranged family.
Sources close to the family reported that Brian made no effort to reconnect with Niko during his illness or before his passing; however, Brian said that he extended help to Niko during his health crisis.
Niko was surrounded by his mother Julie, brother Brian Jr., wife Carla, and extended family during his final days.
Sending condolences to all who loved Niko. R.I.P.
