The Heartbreaking Death Of Nick Cannon's 5-Month-Old Son
Nick Cannon has been in the entertainment industry for years now, though perhaps he's best known now for his long-term relationship with singing powerhouse Mariah Carey or his hosting gig on "America's Got Talent" (via Success Story). He's been working as a standup comedian in the industry since he was a teenager, even working as a warm-up comedian on the popular '90s Nickelodeon show "All That."
Recently, all eyes have been on Cannon's parenting choices. The comedian and host has recently made news for the number of children he has with different women (via Entertainment Tonight). He has had four children in less than a year with three different women. However, it's no accident. "I'm having kids on purpose," he shared. "I don't have no accident."
Part of the reason why he is choosing to have so many kids is because of his battle with Lupus. "When you experience near-death situations [and] life-threatening situations, it's honest. it's real," Cannon said. "I feel like, yo, I'm running out of time. Every time I think I'm doing good, then I gotta go back to the f***ing hospital."
Sadly, Cannon had a tragic loss in his family, making that statement more heartbreaking.
Cannon's son had brain cancer
News recently broke that Cannon's youngest son, Zen, tragically died after a battle with brain cancer (via NBC News). Zen was born in June, making him only five months old at his time of death. Cannon shared Zen with Alyssa Scott.
On "The Nick Cannon Show," Cannon he addressed his son's death and the health concerns that lead up to the heartbreaking loss (per Entertainment Tonight). "I always noticed he had a cough and so I wanted to check it out," he said. "He had this interesting breathing and by the time he was two months, I noticed he had this nice sized head too — a Cannon head. We didn't think anything of it. But I wanted to take him to the doctor for his sinus and breathing. We thought it would be routine."
He continued, "Ultimately, it was cancer in the brain and the tumor began to grow a lot faster ... This weekend I made a valid effort to spend the most quality time I could spend with Zen. We woke up on Sunday — I got to spend the weekend with him — and I woke up on Sunday and was like, 'I feel like I want to go to the water.' We got a chance to go to the ocean."
Cannon's relationship with Scott was kept private
While Cannon has never been afraid to talk about his children, he has kept his relationships out of the public eye, at least for the most part. Scott, Zen's mother, revealed that she had a child but did not officially confirm that Cannon was the father at first (via Page Six). The two were rumored to be dating and things got especially suspicious when she posted a photo to her Instagram story of a man who looked a lot like the comedian and TV host on Father's Day, captioned, "Celebrating you today."
Eventually, thanks to the post on Instagram, it was confirmed that Cannon was indeed Zen's father (per Daily Mail). However, it seems his relationship with Scott was casual at best. She allegedly referred to him as a "player" online. Other than an outing at a popular celebrity hot spot in Los Angeles back in October of 2020, the pair have rarely been seen together.
Zen was close in age with three of his siblings
While Zen was the youngest of the Cannon brood, he was close in age with a few of his father's other children. Just a few days before Zen was born, Cannon welcomed twins with his ex-girlfriend, Abby De La Rosa (per Daily Mail). The twin boys are named Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir.
On her children with Cannon, De La Rosa penned, "Our dearest sons: my miracle babies. Thank you for choosing me to be your Mommy. I know the Lord has destined me and prepared me for the gift of not one but two little angels." She continued, "I pray that God give you both the strength to walk brave and boldly in your individual truth just like your Daddy. That God bless you and your brother and guide you into living out your full purpose."
Cannon welcomed four children in one year. The eldest of the 2020-21 babies is a daughter he shared with former Miss Arizona USA, Brittany Bell (via Billboard). The former couple named their daughter Powerful Queen Cannon, who is approaching her first birthday.
Bell gushed in an Instagram post about their daughter, writing, "The best gift ever we have been surprised with ... A GIRL!!!!!" She added, "Powerful Queen Cannon came this week perfect timing for Christmas."