Mobo Awards Founder Kanya King Dies at 57 After Cancer Battle
The 2026 MOBO Awards will be dedicated to her memory as tributes pour in from artists including Craig David, Stormzy and Alesha Dixon.
- On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, Kanya King CBE, founder and CEO of the MOBO Organisation, died at 57 following a courageous battle with colon cancer, her family and organization confirmed on Friday.
- Thirty years ago, King remortgaged her home alone to launch the MOBO Awards, defying industry claims that Black music was too niche and lacked a market.
- The awards show championed artists including Stormzy, Sade, and Amy Winehouse, becoming a national institution, while King received a CBE in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours List.
- Celebrities including Alesha Dixon and Craig David paid emotional tributes, and the MOBO Organisation announced the 2026 MOBO Awards will be dedicated entirely to King's memory.
- Her family stated King leaves behind thirty years of "joy, of resistance, of proof" that one woman with vision and nerve can move an entire culture.
64 Articles
64 Articles
MOBO Awards founder, Kanya King dies at 57 after cancer battle
A British businesswoman who founded the MOBO Awards, Kanya King, is dead. Kanya King reportedly died on June 3, 2026, after a battle with colon cancer. She was 57. The MOBO Organisation announced the sad news in an official statement shared on Instagram on Friday. “It is with immeasurable sorrow that MOBO Organisation announces the passing of its Founder and CEO, Kanya King CBE, on 3 June 2026 after a courageous battle with colon cancer,” the or…
MOBO Awards founder and cultural pioneer Kanya King dies aged 57
MOBO Awards founder Kanya King championed Black musicians' contribution to British culture and funded the first Music Of Black Origin awards in 1996. Heartfelt tributes have been posted, remembering her as a "visionary" and "a pioneer" who "changed the face of culture and music.”
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 75% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
