Pioneering MOBOs founder Kanya King has died following a 'courageous, determined' fight with advanced colon cancer, which she revealed in December 202410:17, 05 Jun 2026Updated 10:40, 05 Jun 2026Music moghul Kanya King has sadly lost her battle to colon cancer, at aged 57. The founder and CEO of the MOBO organisation passed away peacefully on 3 June 2026 after what her organisation in a statement called a ‘courageous and characteristically determined battle with colon cancer’.‌They added, ‘She was surrounded by her family, close friends and love. The music world has lost one of its most fearless champions.’‌"Thirty years ago, Kanya King remortgaged her home, alone, without institutional backing, without industry support, to build a stage that would transform British music forever.‌"She was a single mother from a Kilburn council estate who was told that Black music was too niche, that there was no market and that the industry was not interested. Instead of arguing, she built. Six weeks later, the first MOBO Awards was broadcast to the nation, and nothing was ever the same again.""What Kanya created was never simply an awards ceremony. It was an act of cultural justice. MOBO did not just celebrate Black music; it legitimised it, amplified it, and demonstrated its commercial and creative power to a world that had too often chosen not to see it.‌"Olivia Dean, Stormzy, Little Simz, RAYE, Craig David, Soul II Soul, Ms. Dynamite, So Solid Crew, Krept & Konan, Kano, Amy Winehouse, Sade, Central Cee and more. Every artist who has stood on the MOBO stage since 1996, every door that opened, every opportunity that followed, and every ceiling that was shattered carries the imprint of Kanya King’s vision."She built a platform that has reached hundreds of millions of people around the world. She was awarded a CBE and received an Ivors Academy Honour in 2025, accepting it, characteristically, in the middle of what she described as “a difficult week health-wise”, yet still managing to inspire every person in the room. She never stopped. She never asked for permission. She never accepted that the word “no” was final."‌When the entrepreneur took to the MOBO stage in Newcastle in February 2025, just months after her diagnosis, she told the audience emotionally: “I never allowed someone to define my limits. Not in life. Not in business. And I’m certainly not going to have that happen now.”The 2026 MOBO Awards, held during the Organisation’s landmark 30th anniversary year, will be dedicated entirely to King's memory.King, who launched the Mobos in 1996 to celebrate black talent across the entertainment industry, announced in December 2024 that she had been diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer. She said of her shock diagnosis that it "was something I never saw coming and I am still processing this unexpected reality.‌"While this journey will undoubtedly be challenging, I've always believed in finding meaning through adversity," the 55-year-old said."This diagnosis isn't the end of my story—it's a chance to inspire resilience, raise awareness, use this moment to not only fight my own battle but to amplify the message of early detection and the importance of proactively taking charge of your health.Article continues below"If my story can save just one life, then it's a story worth telling."The youngest of nine children born to an Irish mother and a Ghanaian father, Kanya became a mother herself at 16, and leaves one son, Jem. She was also a devoted grandmother, and had spoken previously about how her own challenging childhood and early motherhood had shaped her life.Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .