The post After Brian McKnight’s Estranged Son Passes Away, Fans Drag Brian And Wife, Here’s Why appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

We’re sad to report that Nikolas “Niko” McKnight, the eldest son of R&B singer Brian McKnight, has passed away at just 32 years old after a two-year battle with cancer. The tragic news was shared by Niko’s uncle, Claude McKnight—former member of the legendary gospel group Take 6—who paid tribute to his nephew in an emotional TikTok video posted on May 29, 2025.

Niko didn’t let those comments slide. In multiple public responses, including an emotional post shared by his brother, Brian McKnight Jr., Niko stood up for himself and his siblings, saying they had all loved and supported their father for years—until he turned his back on them. Their mother, Julie McKnight (Brian’s ex-wife), also called out Brian for what she said were “falsehoods,” especially after Brian claimed in April 2024 that Julie had blocked him from helping Niko during his cancer treatment. Julie denied that claim completely.

Sadly, the rift between Niko and Brian McKnight never seemed to heal before Niko’s passing. As of now, Brian has not made a public statement about his son’s death.

Niko is survived by his mother, Julie, his brother Brian Jr., and other family members who remained close during his fight. Fans and followers continue to flood social media with love, condolences, and outrage—mourning not just the loss of a young life, but the heartbreaking silence from the man who helped bring him into this world.

We’ll continue to follow any updates, but for now, we send love, and uplifting energy to Niko’s loved ones. Rest in power, young king.

The post R.I.P.- Brian McKnight’s Estranged Son Passes Away After Lengthy Battle 🕊 appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

By now, most of us have heard about the disheartening statements R&B crooner, Brian McKnight, has made about his eldest biological children — Niko, Brian Jr., Briana, and presumably Clyde McKnight as well. Each of the aforementioned kids are Black, and Brian’s made it publicly known that he’s disowned them. So much so, that he’s also legally changed his name to match the name of the toddler son he shares with wife,  Leilani McKnight (who is of Filipino and Hawaiian decent), which was seemingly an intentional spiteful jab toward his eldest son, Brian McKnight Jr, whom the singer had previously shared his birth name with for the past few decades. And the list of dysfunctional daddy-deeds goes on and on from there, as we’ve unfortunately seen play out in public. Nevertheless…for “Never Felt This Way” singer’s recent birthday,  his wife referred to him as an “amazing father.” And that’s where this gets even more eyebrow-raising.

Wifey’s Birthday Tribute To Brian McKnight

On June 6, 2024, Brian turned 55. Typically, we would see his fans big up’ing him on his own social media pages, but ever since the mound of backlash he’s faced for publicly disowning his cancer-stricken Black son, Niko, as well as his other three eldest children, Brian has seemingly run away from social media altogether…but I digress.

Fortunately for Brian, wifey, Leilani, is keeping his presence felt on social media with her latest b-day post, where she praised him for always being there for ‘her’ children (but not for the biological ones he shares with his exes).

Leilani started by praising Brian for being an “amazing human being”:

“When I first met you, my prayer was that God would let me know you. Not the celebrity, not the singer but the inner person of your heart.

HE answered that prayer. He revealed to me the man you truly are. HE allowed me to see you through HiS eyes. To love the man that HE sees you as.

I wish I could give you the ability to see what I see. Only then would you truly know what an amazing human being you are.”

She then referred to him as an “amazing father”:

“You are an exemplary and passionately devoted husband. ❤️ I am humbled by how much God has blessed me by giving me you 🙏You are a loving and amazing father. Your protection , presence and love for me and our children knows no bounds and no words could say or actions shown could come close to expresss (sic) how much we love you and how grateful we are for you.

Today on your birthday, and everyday we honor you my love. I’m forever in love with you ❤️

#iloveourlife #mrandmrsmcknightworldtour24 #knightandlei❤️”

Questions And Accountability?

After reading Leilani’s birthday post, you’re probably thinking, ‘How could she praise Brian’s parenting of ‘their’ son and ‘her’ kids, but never acknowledged how he’s publicly bashed his other biological children?’

We don’t have the answer to that, but one can only imagine that the timing of Leilani’s fatherhood-praising of Brian; along with his actions toward his eldest kids, continue to emotionally cut his estranged kids very deeply.

Not only has Brian McKnight publicly referred to his four estranged kids as ‘products of sin’ and more in recent years; he publicly claimed Leilani’s children as his ‘only’ kids.

The McKnight Kids Nor Step-kids Publicly Showed Brian McKnight B-Day Love

By the way, none of Brian’s biological children publicly acknowledged their dad for his 55th birthday, and understandably so. On the flip side of this, Leilani’s daughter, Jules — one of the stepchildren Brian refers to as one of ‘his only’ kids– refrained from showing him birthday love online as well. So, that’s a pretty telling sign that none of the kids within Brian’s inner-circle seemingly wish to be publicly attached to the mayhem he’s caused for himself and his legacy at this time.

Welp…at least the “Back At One” crooner still has his wife, Leilani, to keep him company in these social media streets.

Meanwhile…

Meanwhile, we’re wishing Brian’s estranged son, Niko McKnight, a speedy rode to recovery and remission, as he continues to fight his fight against cancer.

 

 

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And to the rest of Brian’s estranged children, best wishes to each of you as you navigate through this thing called life. The road ain’t always pretty, but we can always learn to make lemonade outta lemons along the way.

Moral of the story is: Two things can exist at once. Brian McKnight is an incredibly gifted artist, who creates beautiful music; and he’s seemingly also an incredibly insensitive, detached father to his eldest biological children. Hopefully, in due time, he will find a way to mend the broken fences with them.

The post Brian McKnight’s Wife Calls Him “Amazing Father” On His B-day, After He Disowns His Kids appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Brian McKnight is at it again…speaking out about his estranged relationship with his four biological kids, except this time he’s attempting to do damage control that isn’t going over quite so well with many of his fans.

In case you missed the recent ongoing drama Brian keeps publicly stirring up between himself and at least three of his four estranged children– Niko, Briana, and Brian McKnight Jr.– dude has recently taken virtual jabs at them by referring to them as ‘products of sin‘ on social media, including his cancer-stricken son in this unfortunate mess as well. Fast forward to now, and obviously, Brian’s recent painful statements about his kids earned him tons of backlash. Now that he’s being called out about his insensitive statements — especially toward his son, Niko, who’s currently fighting for his life as he battles cancer — Brian has spoken out yet again in a video message on April 24, 2024.

 

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A post shared by nikolas mcknight (@fiftyclicks)

Niko McKnight has been chronicling his cancer battle on social media ever since 2023. However, his pops, Brian, began his new video message by claiming the “sensitive” matter involving him and Niko should not be for “public consumption”…even though Brian has repeatedly publicly bashed (key word being, ‘publicly’) and/or disowned his estranged kids ever since 2019:

“I wanted to take a few moments to talk about something that I’d already addressed six months ago,” stated Brian McKnight. “But, I hesitate to talk about it now because the subject matter is so sensitive and so serious that I don’t believe it’s for public consumption. But because people keep asking me about it, I feel a need to address to this once again.”

The “Last Cry” crooner then proceeded to address Niko’s cancer battle, while seemingly painting himself as the ‘good guy’ in the scenario…just days after referring Niko and his other siblings as ‘products of sin’ online:

B.M. – “Six months ago, when we found out about this (Niko’s cancer), we called him (Niko McKnight). We talked to him. We talked to his wife. She told us that she was all alone and handling everything all by herself. And it became quickly evident to us that since they didn’t have insurance and they didn’t have access to the proper doctors…naturally, and even though all this nonsense has been going on for years, we jumped into action. We asked for his medical reports. We received those medical reports. We hand-delivered them to the best specialists in the country. Those specialists outlined a plan of action that would give him the best fighting chance. We miraculously found a treatment facility near our home that put him at the top of the list.

And then we put down a deposit to secure that place. We were arranging to fly the two of them to our home privately so that she (Niko’s wife) could be with him and not have to work and really just focus on his treatment.”

Brian also says that Julie McKnight — his ex-wife of 13 years (who reportedly accused Brian of repeated physically abuse toward her during their marriage) and mother of two of his sons, Niko and Brian Jr.– told him to refrain from calling Niko:

B.M. – “And in the midst of that, we received a very hostile phone call from his mother saying, do not contact him. He does not need your help. But I can only imagine that if that help came from me, that it would go against the strong narrative that’s being pushed out there about me.

So what are we doing? We’re adhering to her wishes because that’s what she wanted. And we’re staying out of it. And we’re doing the only thing we can do, which is pray for him, which I hope you do, too.”

Now, typically matters involving parents and their children should be kept private because that is a deeply sensitive topic. But, like many Brian-McKnight-fans, I gotta call a spade a spade here. So here it is…

Few things to point out about Brian’s statements:

1. He failed to mention the multiple times he’d already publicly disowned his kids online and/or in interviews, dating back to 2019; while simultaneously publicly referring to his wife’s kids ‘as his own’ and lovingly embracing them constantly online in what seemed to be further attempts to hurt his kids’ feelings and shame them. Hmmm…I could be wrong, but could that be a major part of the reason why his ex-wife, Julie, supposedly wanted to step up and be ‘Mama Bear’ in order to protect their son, Niko, as he fights for his life? Additional stress on any cancer patient can further worsen their condition.
2. As a father, he should not expect a pat on the back from fans (via his latest video message), for supposedly attempting to help the child he publicly disowned years ago, as that child battles cancer. And he especially should not attempt to use that in his defense, just days after publicly shaming his biological kids online yet again.

Whew…this  entire situation is disheartening to say the least. All I can say is that I sincerely hope the brotha can one day (hopefully sooner, rather than later) “start back at one” with mending his relationships with his biological kids.

And if you missed the recent statements Brian McKnight made about all of his biological kids — presumably before he realized the mounds of backlash he’d face once fans learned that one of his sons is battling cancer — feel free to check that out here.

The post Damage Control? Brian McKnight Tries To Justify Disowning Cancer-Stricken Son appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Brian McKnight has managed to become enemy #1 in the eyes of many of his used-to-be-fans who once loved him. Why? Because he is online throwing all sorts of hurtful shade at his own flesh and blood- his four biological children (including his cancer-stricken son), while simultaneously embracing his step-kids ‘as his own.’ In a recent Instagram video, McKnight addressed a comment about his “other” kids, and let’s just say his response was extra salty…in a nice-nasty sort of way.

It all started when an Instagram user commented on a post showcasing a home that McKnight built for his current wife, Leilani — who is reportedly of Filipino and Hawaiian descent– and their blended family. The user mentioned Brian’s “other kids,” referring to his four biological children– Niko, Brian Jr, Briana, and Clyde McKnight. The comment struck a nerve, and McKnight wasted no time in firing back.

Brian McKnight’s “Evil” Comments About His Kids

In response, Brian re-shared a comment from a person who apparently tried to defend Brian’s disowning his biological children, which read, “For all of those asking ‘what about his other children’ some families are pure evil.” And Brian also had a response of his own. Check it out below:

 

 

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“In order to live a life you love, you have to get rid of the evil and the negativity, even if that evil and negativity is related,” McKnight said in the video. “We want everyone to live a life that you love. Our hashtag that’s what it means, #ILoveOurLife, but in order to do that you have to get rid of all that evil and negativity. There’s so many angry and upset and negative people out there. We want to use our platform as a place of positivity. A positivity platform.”

McKnight’s response left many social media users speculating about his relationship with his adult children. Many slammed him for seemingly referring to his own children as a source of “evil” and “negativity.” But Brian’s negativity toward his biological children didn’t stop there. In online comments, he replied to another person and labeled his biological kids as a “product of sin”:

“1. God wasn’t talking about children that are the product of sin which these are. 2. I didn’t raise them their mothers did. 3. Know the whole story before quoting the Bible. 4. Take your inaccurate negativity off of my page and try being happy.” – Brian McKnight

And there’s more…in a separate recent video response, McKnight reportedly denied having more than one daughter, acknowledging only his wife’s daughter, Julia, as his “one and only daughter.” This caused further speculation about his relationship with his other biological child, Briana McKnight. However, Brian made it clear that he only posts about the children he has relationships with and is proud of.

People Obliterated Brain McKnight’s “Evil” Comments About His Kids

As y’all can imagine, people waisted zero time goin’ the all the way OFF on Brian McKnight for disowning his biological children and further bashing them in public…

“Wait til karma spin the block on yo a$$! Them same kids you might need one day to wipe your ass! BE CAREFUL WHO YOU SPEAK ON!” wrote one commenter.

One commenter wrote, “OMG! Brian you already told the world that you want nothing to do with your black children. Please stop reopening their wounds and let them heal from your treatment of abandonment. Just be ready for karma to spin the block when its time.”

Another comment read, “He literally has a son battling cancer right now and this is the content he decides to make.”

“You are cancelled sir. Sad excuse of a father!!!”, commented another.

“I WILL NEVER GO to a @brianmcknight23 CONCERT or LISTEN to ANY of his MUSIC from this DAY FORWARD! He just got RKelly’d!”, vowed a now-former fan of Brian’s.

“He’s intentionally trying to hurt them, it’s alarming and sad,” one commenter noted.

Another stated, “Wonderful example of toxic positivity. Well done.”

Brian’s Ex-Wife Reacts With Class

 

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After Brian’s insensitive statements about his biological kids went viral, his ex-wife of 13 years, Julie McKnight (the mother of two of his biological children – Niko and Brian Jr.), clapped back at him with poise and grace in her video post, as well as in the comment section of The Shaderoom:

“The point of every negative situation, whether it’s an illness whether it’s a fool that you have to deal with because they keep entering your life when you are no longer giving anymore energy to it, is to only keep you down to where they thought they had you because they were the author of an extremely abusive situation emotionally, mentally. And they’re no good at not being the center of attention anymore. So when everybody pulls that away, it’s like a kid without candy who throws a tantrum…” – Julie McKnight

Meanwhile…Brian McKnight’s Son Is Fighting Through Cancer Journey

 

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Meanwhile, Brian’s and Julie’s son, Niko McKnight, is currently fighting for his life as he battles cancer. He completed his 9th round of chemotherapy as of March 2024, and has been chronicling his cancer journey on his Instagram page.What we sincerely want Niko to know, is that even if his father is choosing not to be there for him during this difficult time, he has millions of people rooting for him online. We wish him a full recovery.

As far as Brian McKnight’s relationship with his biological children – Niko, Brian Jr., Briana, and Clyde McKnight- we can only hope the brotha eventually finds it within his heart to work diligently at mending that shattered fence.

The post After Brian McKnight Bashes Cancer-Stricken Son & His Other Kids, Ex-Wife, Fans Clap Back appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Who Be’s The Pappy?

It’s “Back At One” crooner, Brian McKnight. Told y’all his Pops was a sangin’ somebody. Brian McKnight’s son’s name is Brian McKnight Jr. (pictured above) and he, too, is a sanger (not singer, there’s a difference) just like his Dad. Their relationship was and likely still is) very strained though. Get the deets below, and check out the mother of Brian Sr.’s kids…

McKnight’s Son Blasted Him Publicly

Although Brian McKnight Jr. has talent like his Pops, that doesn’t mean they see eye-to-eye on everything. In fact, in February 2021 Brian Jr. put his dad on blast, via Instagram, in response to his dad’s heated response to Brian Jr.’s prior claim that Brian Sr. “abandoned” his children.

 

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But wait…there’s more…Brian has another grown son…

Brian Mcknight’s Youngest Son

Niko is in his 20’s also and he is following in his dad’s footsteps as well. He and his big brother, Brian Jr., perform often and sometimes with their dad. Both of them are talented musicians as well. See who their mother is below.

Meet The Mother Of Brian McKnight’s Sons

Julie McKnight is Brian McKnight’s ex-wife and she is also the mother of their two sons, Brian Jr. and Niko, who were destined to be in the music business in some way because BOTH of their parents are singers. Julie has a beautiful voice and still performs at various venues and WAIT ‘TIL YOU SEE BRIAN JR. AND NIKO SINGING WITH THEIR DADDY…

Brian McKnight Sings With His Sons

The McKnight boys can sing EXACTLY like their Pops! They are also musical beasts- Brian Jr’s specialty aside from singing, is playing the keys/piano. Niko’s claim to fame is singing, playing the the guitar.

Both sons seldomly perform with their Pops and are able to hold their own next to him. I’m sure their dad is beaming with pride…

Brian McKnight Is A Grandpa

And we couldn’t end this without sharing these cool pics of Brian McKnight Jr. with his precious seeds…

 

 

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A post shared by Brian McKnight Jr (@brianmcknightjr)

The post His Dad Is A ’90s R&B Sex Symbol Singer…And They Have A Controversial Relationship appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

In case you didn’t know by now Stephanie Mills may be small in stature, standing 4’9″…but she has a BIG personality and ain’t afraid to speak her mind. That’s also one of the reasons why we think she should do more interviews, because they’re usually entertaining, even when we may disagree with her point of view. Anyways, Ms. Mills had a lot to say about Brian McKnight in a past interview. See why she called him disrespectful.

Not only did Stephanie have a few words for Brian McKnight, but she had a lil’ something to say about Erykah Badu and other artists too. Tell us if you agree with what she’s saying here…

STEPHANIE MILLS: BRIAN McKNIGHT “STARVED FOR ATTENTION”

In a past interview with Huffington Post, Stephanie Mills revealed this:

“I found that song [Brian McKnight’s “Show Me How Your Pu**y Works”] disrespectful. I just don’t think you have to go that far to get attention. And I think sometimes the older artists — because he is older now — the older artists are so starved for attention that they’ll just about do anything. And I come from the school of when they taught you how to sit and do interviews and taught you how to walk into a room. There was so much training during the time that I came through that we would never think of doing anything like that. So I think it took away from all of the classiness and the great stuff that he has done before.”

BRIAN McKNIGHT’S “SHOW YOU HOW YOUR PU**Y WORKS” VIDEO (EXPLICIT LANGUAGE)

MILLS WASN’T FOND OF ERYKAH’S NAKEDNESS EITHER

“It’s just like when Erykah Badu took off all of her clothes. I was like, ‘It’s just so unnecessary to do that!’ I love Erykah Badu, but I think sometimes they want to do the shock value thing, but I don’t think it always works for black artists the way that it works for white artists,” said Mills.

ILOSM family, do y’all agree with Stephanie Mills on this, or no?

The post Stephanie Mills Revealed Why She Called Brian McKnight Disrespectful & Criticized Erykah Badu appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

R&B legend, Brian McKnight, and singer, Ne-Yo, received some great news recently, after gettin’ GOT by their former business manager. As far as the news that their ex-manager received, well…let’s just say it’s on the opposite end of great.

A man, by the name of Kevin Foster, was once the manager of McKnight and Ne-Yo, and according to reports, he was recently busted for jackin’ millions from Ne-Yo and hundreds of thousands of dollars from McKnight. As a result, Foster not only received a lengthy prison sentence for those two crimes and others, but a judge is now forcing Foster to pay the two singers their money back ASAP, according to The Blast:

Kevin Foster, the former business manager for Ne-Yo and Brian McKnight, has been ordered to pay restitution for his financial crimes. The judge awarded Ne-Yo a total of $6,456,250 and McKnight will be paid $151,675.

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The restitution that Foster has now been ordered to pay back, comes after he was sentenced in New Jersey for several crimes, such as money laundering and wire fraud:

Via The Blast- Foster was accused of getting Ne-Yo to invest millions in a sports drink company under “false pretenses,” and then took millions more from the singer without telling him.

It’s unclear how Foster was caught stickin’ Brian McKnight for his paper, but thankfully he, too, will be getting his money back.

Meanwhile, the two singers’ ex-manager has now been sentenced to nearly 7 and a half years (89 months) in prison after being found guilty.

Dayumn! Just like the Old School saying goes- ‘crime doesn’t pay.’

The post Ex-Manager Of Brian McKnight & Ne-Yo Forced To Pay Millions, Sent To Prison For Doing ‘Em Dirty appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

While the rest of the world spent New Year’s Eve waiting for the 2017 countdown, Brian McKnight was tying the knot. According to the couple’s registry via The Knot, the “Still In Love” singer married his fiancee Leilani Malia Mendoza in a private ceremony in Los Angeles, CA on Dec. 29. McKnight caught the attention of fans when he took to social media with details about the wedding.

Love On Instagram:

To celebrate the new year, Brian McKnight took to Instagram with beautiful photos and video clips from their wedding. With the first photo, McKnight announced the new Mrs. McKnight. “Ladies and gentlemen introducing Mr. and Mrs. Brian McKnight,” he captioned.

Check out a few of the singer’s beautiful posts:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdZRfcehiqu

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdZRzpWhp6E

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdZR7Mghupx

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdZUqDlhvOZ

After Years Of Searching:

The couple’s wedding follows the announcement of their engagement back in May of 2017. For those who missed that, the singer also took to Instagram to announce he’d proposed. Since McKnight has had a monumental career, we all know he’s traveled the world and probably met thousands of women. But he admitted that it took him 42 years to find the woman of his dreams. “[It] took me 42 years to find her and I’m never letting her go. I’m so in love with you baby #iloveourlife #priceless #brianized.”

Although many had speculated the couple married long before their engagement, Brian McKnight previously confirmed they hadn’t despite living as if they were. “We haven’t gotten married yet, but we’re more married than any married couple I know.”

Now, they’ve finally made it official. Congratulations to Brian and Leilani McKnight!

The post Beautiful! Singer Brian McKnight & Fiancee Tie The Knot appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

[kkgallery kid=”2378″ title=”Stephanie Mills Explains WHY She Called Brian McKnight DISRESPECTFUL”]

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, old school news with a new point of view. Come join our ILOSM fam’ on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @iloveoldschoolmusic

The post Stephanie Mills Reveals WHY She Called Brian McKnight DISRESPECTFUL appeared first on I Love Old School Music.