The MOBO Organisation has announced the death of its founder and CEO, Kanya King CBE, who passed away peacefully on June 3, 2026, following a courageous battle with colon cancer.
In a statement shared on its official social media accounts, the organisation said it was with “immeasurable sorrow” that it announced the passing of the woman whose vision transformed the landscape of British music over the past three decades.
King was surrounded by her family, close friends and loved ones at the time of her death.
Founded in 1996, the MOBO Awards became one of the most influential platforms celebrating Black music and culture in the United Kingdom. The organisation credited King’s determination and pioneering spirit for creating opportunities for generations of artists who may otherwise have gone unrecognized by mainstream music institutions.
According to the statement, King remortgaged her home to launch the first MOBO Awards after being told there was no market for Black music. Rather than accepting those views, she built a platform that would go on to become a major cultural institution.
“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,” the organisation said. “Instead of arguing, she built.”
Over the years, the MOBO Awards helped elevate the careers of artists including Stormzy, Little Simz, Craig David, Ms. Dynamite, Kano, Sade, Krept & Konan, So Solid Crew, Central Cee and RAYE.
The organisation has also acknowledged reggae and Caribbean music with the inclusion of the Best Reggae Act since 1996and since 2022 The Best Caribbean Music Act. The inaugural nominees for the latter included Spice, Koffee, Skillibeng, Popcaan, Shenseea, and Sean Paul, with Skillibeng taking home the first win. This year Vybz Kartel was the winner.
The MOBOs stated that King’s achievement is described as more than the creation of an awards ceremony, calling it “an act of cultural justice” that legitimised and amplified Black music across Britain and around the world.
King was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and received an Ivors Academy Honour in 2025 in recognition of her contribution to music and culture.
Despite being diagnosed with colon cancer, she remained active and committed to the organisation she founded. The statement recalled her appearance at the 2025 MOBO Awards in Newcastle, where 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.”
The MOBO Organisation announced that the 2026 MOBO Awards, marking its 30th anniversary, will be dedicated to King’s memory.
“The world was a profoundly better place with Kanya King in it,” the organisation said. “The MOBO family is heartbroken, but endlessly grateful, proud and inspired by everything she gave to music, culture and future generations.”
Kanya King CBE was born in Kilburn, London, to an Irish mother and Ghanaian father. She was the youngest of nine children. She became a mother at 16 and left school, later overcoming significant challenges to build a successful career in the music industry.
King was appointed an MBE in 1999 and later promoted to CBE in 2018 for her services to music and culture. She also received numerous honorary doctorates and awards recognizing her contributions to entrepreneurship, diversity, and the creative industries.
Throughout her career, she was consistently ranked among Britain’s most influential Black people and most powerful women. In December 2024, she revealed she had been diagnosed with stage-four bowel cancer but continued working and celebrating the 30th anniversary of the MOBO Awards in 2026.
Kanya King’s legacy lives on through the MOBO Awards and the many initiatives she established to support emerging talent, including MOBO Unsung, the MOBO Fringe Festival, MOBO Musicians Amplified, and House of MOBO. Her vision helped shape generations of artists and left a lasting impact on British music and culture.
