Kanya King, the widely respected music entrepreneur, founder of the MOBO Awards, and champion of Black British music, has died at the age of 57.
King passed away on Wednesday (June 3) after “a courageous and characteristically determined battle with colon cancer,” the MOBO Organisation said in a statement today (June 5).
King was surrounded by her “family, close friends and love,” the organisation said, adding that “the music world has lost one of its most fearless champions.”
The MOBO Awards became the first ceremony in Europe to celebrate Black music, spanning genres from hip-hop, grime and R&B to reggae, jazz, gospel and Afrobeats.
King founded the MOBO Awards in 1996, staging the first ceremony six weeks after securing a broadcast slot from Carlton Television.
The inaugural event was held at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London in November 1996.
The ceremony was the first in Europe to celebrate Black music and became a fixture of the UK awards calendar.
“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 MOBO Organisation said.
“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,” the statement continued. “It was an act of cultural justice.”
“MOBO did not just celebrate Black music; it legitimized it, amplified it, and demonstrated its commercial and creative power to a world that had too often chosen not to see it.”
Artists who have performed at or won prizes at the MOBO Awards include Amy Winehouse, Stormzy and Olivia Dean.
The MOBO Awards championed genres including grime, garage and Afrobeats, and introduced a Best African Act category in 2005.
“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.”
the MOBO Organisation
In 2009, the ceremony became one of the first major UK awards shows to move outside London, later traveling to cities including Liverpool, Glasgow and Newcastle.
The MOBO Awards marked its 30th anniversary in 2026, with a ceremony at Co-op Live in Manchester on March 26.
The anniversary year included the opening of the House of MOBO, a community hub in south London.
Olivia Dean won three prizes at that ceremony, including Album of the Year for The Art of Loving and Song of the Year for Man I Need.
Speaking to Billboard before the anniversary show, King said Black music had moved “from the margins to the absolute center of global culture.”
She described the milestone as a testament to the MOBOs’ endurance and its role in shaping Black culture beyond the UK.
King was appointed MBE in 1999 and made a CBE in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours for her services to music.
She received an Ivors Academy Honour in 2025, which she accepted during what she called “a difficult week health-wise,” according to the statement.
King received a special honour at the 2025 MOBO Awards, held in Newcastle in February, months after her diagnosis.
There, King told the audience: “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 MOBO Organisation’s statement closed: “Rest in power, Kanya. You built this. All of it.”
Tributes poured in for King on Friday.
Idris Elba said: “You inspired me. Your dedication is unmatched. I will miss you [Kanya King], we will all miss you.”
Dr Jo Twist OBE, BPI CEO, said. “It is with such a heavy heart that we learn of this great loss to the music and wider community, and we send our love and heartfelt condolences to Kanya’s family, friends and to all who worked with her.
“Everyone who knew Kanya or who benefited from her incredible passion for music and the creative arts and from her fierce commitment to inclusivity and social justice will know just how much of an inspirational trailblazer she was. She will always be remembered for this and for the wonderful legacy she leaves to British music and beyond, not least through the MOBO Awards and brand she founded and developed so brilliantly into a landmark platform for so many artists, and which will act as a lasting tribute to her many accomplishments. Rest in Peace Kanya, you will be greatly missed.”
YolanDa Brown OBE DL, Artist and BPI Chair, added: “There is only one Kanya King, in the same way there is only one Bob Marley or one Whitney Houston. Kanya was truly one of one, a legend!
“What made her so remarkable was that she spent her career, through the vehicle of MOBO creating a platform so that there could be other Kanyas, other Tinie Tempahs, other Emeli Sandés and so many more artists whose names, stories and gifts may not otherwise have been given the space they deserved.
“Wearing my musician hat, my first ever award was a MOBO Award in 2007 and it was the spark my career needed at that time. I know I am one of countless artists whose journey was encouraged, amplified and validated by Kanya’s vision. We celebrate everything Kanya stood for and fought for led by her belief in the power of culture to change lives for the better. I join others in sending my love and heartfelt condolences to Kanya’s family, friends, colleagues and all who worked with her, loved her and benefited from her extraordinary legacy. Rest in peace Kanya, your impact will live on for generations.”
You can read MOBO’s statement in full below:
It is with immeasurable sorrow that the MOBO Organisation announces the passing of its Founder and CEO, Kanya King CBE.
Kanya passed away peacefully on 3 June 2026 after a courageous and characteristically determined battle with colon cancer. 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 she stood on the MOBO stage in Newcastle in February 2025, just months after her diagnosis, she told the audience: “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.”
That was Kanya King. Right to the very end.
The 2026 MOBO Awards, held during the Organisation’s landmark 30th anniversary year, will be dedicated entirely to her memory. Every artist, every moment and every note will carry her legacy.
The world was a profoundly better place with Kanya King in it. The MOBO family is heartbroken, but also endlessly grateful, proud and inspired by everything she gave to music, culture and the generations who will follow in her footsteps.
Rest in power, Kanya.
You built this.
All of it.
Music Business Worldwide