Kanya King, Mobo Awards Founder, Dies at 57 After Cancer Fight

Mobo Awards founder Kanya King has been remembered as a visionary who changed the music scene. She died at the age of 57 after a long battle with colon cancer.

King worked hard to highlight the contributions of black musicians to British culture. She started the first Music of Black Origin awards in 1996, using her own money to fund it.

The BBC reported that King passed away on Wednesday after a brave fight with cancer, according to a statement from the Mobo Organisation.

Stars have shared their condolences. TV host and singer Alesha Dixon called King an incredible woman. She said, "You helped so many people, your impact is immeasurable!"

Stormzy shared heart and dove emojis, while actor Idris Elba said she was gone too soon. He shared, "You inspired me. Your dedication is unmatched. I will miss you @kanyakingcbe; we will all miss you."

Oritsé Williams from JLS described King as a pioneer who created a powerful platform for cultures and communities often overlooked. He said, "You didn’t just create opportunities; you created belief, belief in our culture, our creativity and our potential."

Oritsé added, "You are an icon, a true visionary. I trust and believe that your impact will be felt for generations to come."

London Mayor Sadiq Khan called King a true pioneer who changed the face of culture and music.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said, "She was a real pioneer who changed British music for the better through the MOBO Awards."

King’s family expressed their devastation over her death. They said, "She faced every moment of her illness as she faced every moment of her life: with courage, with faith, with humour, and with an absolute refusal to be diminished."

They added that through the Mobos, she gave many black British artists the chance to be seen and celebrated. "Kanya leaves behind 30 years of music, joy, resistance, and proof that one woman, with vision, nerve, and love, can move an entire culture."

The family concluded, "We are broken. We are grateful. We are so profoundly, endlessly proud to have been her family. Kanya King CBE. Gone too soon. Never, ever forgotten."

Over the years, the Mobos gained global fame for recognizing black talent. They helped promote new stars and worked to break industry barriers.

King defied the odds as a teenage mother who left school to enter the mostly white, male music industry. She studied English literature at Goldsmiths College in London.

While working as a TV researcher, she noticed a gap for a black-focused awards show. But getting her idea off the ground was not easy.

She recalled, "I remember being told, ‘You’ve got a chip on your shoulder, why are you talking about race all the time?'" in an interview with Music Week in 2021.

By 1999, King received an MBE for her work in music, as the Mobos grew from a small event to a key part of the music industry, competing with the established Brit Awards.

The Mobos celebrated a wide range of music, including UK garage, R&B, reggae, jazz, Afrobeat, and grime before it became mainstream.

King grew up in a cramped council flat in Kilburn, north London, as the youngest of nine children. Her background fueled her drive for change and her entrepreneurial spirit.

She told the Evening Standard she felt “written off” after becoming a mother at 16, recalling a careers adviser suggesting she should aim to manage a local Sainsbury’s.

“That put a fire in my belly and gave me the motivation to say, ‘Why should I not have ambition’,” she said.

Her goal with the Mobos was to address the divide in music at the time, as R&B and hip-hop were ignored by award shows.

Starting the Mobos was challenging, especially as an outsider trying to change the industry. "Rejection became normalised," she said. "People didn’t want to take my calls."

But she persevered, eventually gaining support from black industry executives like Dej Mahoney and Keith Harris, former manager of Stevie Wonder.

“My bedroom was my office,” she explained. “I was answering the phone saying ‘Mobo Organisation’. People didn’t need to know I had clothes everywhere and the room was in disarray!"

Her hard work paid off. The first televised event was at the Connaught Hotel in London, just seven weeks after her pitch was accepted.

The ceremony made headlines when Labour's future Prime Minister Tony Blair attended with his wife Cherie, walking the red carpet with King.

During the ceremony, Lionel Richie accepted the first-ever lifetime achievement award alongside Tina Turner.

King's mother spent the night asking Blair if he could help her daughter find a government job. It was not until 1999, when King received her MBE, that her mother accepted the awards as more than a hobby.

Speaking at the first ceremony, Blair highlighted the Mobos’ focus on music of black origin, celebrating style and influence over race.

For King, this was a key point. She told BBC News in 2001, "We’ve always said it’s about the music... an event that celebrates music of black origin doesn’t seek to separate artists according to skin colour."

The Mobos' televised ceremonies became star-studded events where UK artists like Craig David and Stormzy mingled with international stars like B.B. King and Rihanna.

But with this popularity came challenges. Negative media coverage nearly ended the event in 2002, when headlines falsely linked violence to an unrelated after-show party.

As sponsors left, King remortgaged her home for a second time to keep the awards going. The ceremony faced criticism for giving awards to popular white artists, including Jamiroquai.

In 2009, the Mobos moved outside London for the first time and have since traveled around the UK.

King announced a gap year for the awards in 2017, which extended to 2020. BBC Newsbeat reporter Jimmy Blake called this a “missed opportunity” as grime gained popularity.

King, who received a CBE in 2018 for her contributions, later said the break was not due to lack of funding but to reassess the need for the Mobos. She concluded it was still necessary.

The Mobos made a comeback, focusing on new artists in music and other art forms. King also launched Mobolise to address the lack of black talent in key industries.

Her influence reached many committees and advisory groups, including the Creative Industries Council.

During the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, she wrote an open letter to then-Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden about her fight against racism.

“I just want to see action. That’s what I want to see. The question I asked myself is: ‘What do I have to do? What do I have to prove to get a seat at that table?'” she said.

In December 2024, King shared her stage four bowel cancer diagnosis on Instagram after receiving a lifetime achievement award from the LIVE Foundation.

She said, "While this journey will undoubtedly be challenging, I’ve always believed in finding meaning through adversity. If my story can save just one life, then it’s a story worth telling."

She last appeared on the red carpet at this year’s Mobo Awards in Manchester. On stage, Pharrell Williams, who received an award, praised King’s determination to continue working through her treatment.

“When you love what you get to do, you’re never working, you’re just having the time of your life.”