Kanya King CBE, founder and CEO of the MOBOs, has died at 57, the organization has confirmed.
In a press statement, the MOBOs (Music of Black Origin) said that King “passed away peacefully after a courageous and characteristically determined battle with colon cancer” on Wednesday (June 3). They add that she was “surrounded by her family, close friends and love.”
King was the cofounder of the MOBO Awards which celebrated a landmark 30th anniversary in 2026. The event, which celebrates music of Black origin both domestically and around the world, was held annually with 2026’s edition seeing performances from Olivia Dean and FLO.
Throughout the years, Stormzy, Amy Winehouse, 50 Cent, Sade, Central Cee and more all received prizes from the MOBOs, with Rihanna (2006), Lauryn Hill (2005), and Destiny’s Child (1999) all performing at the event over the years.
“What Kanya created was never simply an awards ceremony,” the statement adds. “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.”
In 2024, King announced her diagnosis of stage four colon cancer. At the MOBOs in February 2025, King said that “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.”
King was born to a Ghanaian father and Irish mother in Kilburn, north London in 1969. She was working as a TV researcher when she founded the MOBO Awards in 1996 alongside Andy Ruffell.
Speaking to Billboard U.K. in March, she said that at the time “there was no real infrastructure or clear pathways for Black music here. Institutional recognition was virtually nonexistent.” King remortgaged her house to fund the awards which were attended by Tony Blair, who would later be elected as the U.K.’s prime minister.
Over the years, the MOBOs spearheaded and reacted to growing U.K. scenes including garage music and grime. “We’ve helped artists move from underground to mainstream and from local to global,” King told Billboard U.K. “We’ve validated some of the genres that were sometimes often dismissed. Whether that was early U.K. R&B, garage and grime to Afrobeats. In many cases, the MOBOs gave artists their first national platform at a time when others wouldn’t.”
The MOBOs also hosted a number of social initiatives to empower Black creatives. The House of MOBOs, for example, was established earlier this year as a place “where people can come together to celebrate, collaborate and build.”
King was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in 1999 and elevated to a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 2018.
“The world was a profoundly better place with Kanya King in it,” the statement adds. “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.”
King is survived by her son, Jem.
