Founder and CEO of MOBO Organisation Kanya King CBE dies, aged 57

MOBO Organisation founder and CEO Kanya King CBE has sadly passed away, aged 57.  

Kanya passed away peacefully on Wednesday (3 June) 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. 

Looking into her career, what Kanya created 30 years ago 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. 

A single mother, who remortgaged her home with no support to build a stage that would transform British music forever; that epitomises who Kanya was. She was built on strength, determination and spirit.  

She was awarded a CBE and received an Ivors Academy Honour in 2025 in the middle of her battle. But she never complained and never stopped inspiring every single person she came upon.  

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.” 

This is a completely heartbreaking loss for the world of music. Kanya is an inspiration to all, and we thank her for what she has given to music and culture in this country and beyond. 

Rest in power Kanya. 

Article image: Getty/Euan Cherry