Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleKanya King, the founder of the Mobo Awards, has died at the age of 57 (Getty)Kanya King, the founder of the Mobo Awards, has died at the age of 57 following a “determined battle with colon cancer”, the Mobo organisation said. King established the Mobo Awards in 1996 as a single mother from a Kilburn council estate.The Mobo Awards grew into a national institution, celebrating a diverse range of artists including Olivia Dean, Stormzy, and Raye. A statement from the Mobo Organisation said: “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.”It continued: “What Kanya created was never simply an awards ceremony. It was an act of cultural justice.”In fullKanya King death: Mobo Awards founder dies aged 57 after cancer battleThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

Pioneering MOBOs founder Kanya King has died following a 'courageous, determined' fight with advanced colon cancer, which she revealed in December 2024

Entrepreneur died of colon cancer, with Mobo Organisation hailing her as ‘one of the most fearless champions’ in the music industry

MOBOs founder Kanya King has died aged 57 following a battle with colon cancer.

Kanya King, the cofounder and CEO of the MOBO Awards, is dead following a battle with colon cancer. She was 57.

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or…

Tributes paid to the pioneer who helped bring Black British music to the global stage with an event that was ‘not just an awards ceremony, but an act of cultural justice’

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…

La fondatrice dei MOBO Awards, Kanya King, ha valorizzato il contributo dei musicisti neri alla cultura britannica e finanziato i primi Music Of Black Origin nel 1996. I tributi…

Mobo Awards founder Kanya King, a visionary who championed black music, has died at 57 after a battle with colon cancer. Learn more about her legacy.