The loudest voice of black Americans, Kanya King, dies at the age of 57.
On Friday, June 5th, the Mobo Awards organisation confirmed the tragic passing of the artist, who founded Mobo Awards in 1996.
In a heartbreaking statement, the organisers revealed that Kanya died after her brief battle with fatal cancer.
"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," the sombre message noted.
They continued, "Black music was too niche, that there was no market and that the industry was not interested, she built. Six weeks later, the first Mobo Awards were broadcast to the nation, and nothing was ever the same again."
Kanya died when she was surrounded by her family, as she was battling with colon cancer for years.
The late artist rose to fame when she publicly became a voice for the unheard black American artists and musicians as she founded the Mobo Awards, which celebrate black music and culture every year.
Her immense contributions were formally recognised with a CBE in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, and she was set to receive an Ivors Academy Honour in 2025.
