Kanya King, founder and CEO of MOBO organisation has passed away
Kanya King passed away peacefully on 3 June 2026 after a courageous and battle with colon cancer surrounded… View Post The post Kanya King, founder and CEO of MOBO organisation has passed away first appeared on Melan Magazine.
Black News 
Kanya King passed away peacefully on 3 June 2026 after a courageous and battle with colon cancer surrounded by her family and close friends.
Image credit: MOBO Organisation
Kanya is widely regarded as one of Black British music’s biggest and influential champions. She built a platform that has reached hundreds of millions of people around the world and the resulting fame from winning a MOBO, often propels the careers of the recipients of the award. However, it’s important to recognise that what Kanya created was never simply an awards ceremony. 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.
From 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.
Kanya epitomised everything we stand for at Melan Magazine. Thirty years ago, as a single mother from a Kilburn council estate, she remortgaged her home, alone, without institutional backing, without industry support, to build a stage that would transform British music forever. Instead of arguing, she built. Six weeks later, the first MOBO Awards was broadcast to the nation, and nothing was ever the same again.
An inspirational figure, she never stopped.
An inspirational figure, she never stopped. She never asked for permission. She never accepted that the word “no” was final.
Tributes have poured in following Kanya King’s passing showing the love and respect people have for Kanya.
On the MOBO Instagram page, singer and rapper Alesha Dixon said: “Devastated to hear this news! Gone too soon! Forever grateful and in awe of you and your fight! One of the strongest people I’ve ever known! You are a true example to us all! Will love you forever! Thank you for everything! Rest well my friend.”
Singer/songwriter Emeli Sande: “Heart breaking. Thank you incredible Kanya for everything a true legend and powerful inspiration your legacy lives on in our hearts and music.” [sic]
Every artist, every moment and every note will carry her legacy.
A statement from MOBO Organisation, said: “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.”
The post Kanya King, founder and CEO of MOBO organisation has passed away first appeared on Melan Magazine.
