iluvlive pays tribute to Kanya King CBE

It is with deep sadness that iluvlive mourns the passing of Kanya King CBE, founder and CEO of the MOBO Awards, who died on 3rd June 2026 after a courageous battle with colon cancer. She was 57.

Kanya’s impact on UK Black music culture is immeasurable. In 1996, as a single mother from a Kilburn council estate, she remortgaged her home and built, without institutional support or industry backing, a stage that changed everything. Thirty years on, that stage had become a national institution, and the careers it launched are woven into the fabric of British music.

Kanya King & Rachael Bee

For iluvlive, Kanya’s legacy is personal. In November 2014, we were proud to co-present the MOBO UnSung Special at the Queen of Hoxton, platforming three of MOBO’s ten UnSung finalists alongside our own emerging artists. Kanya was there that night, alongside iluvlive’s CEO Rachael Bee, two organisations in the same room, united by the belief that Black British talent deserved to be seen, championed, and celebrated. That partnership grew. In 2016 and 2017, iluvlive produced and managed the MOBO UnSung Tour, featuring artists like Tiana Major9, Mic Lowry, Alika, Tiggs Da Author, Tanya Lacey and Tobi Sunmola, across Manchester, Bristol and London.

Our relationship with the MOBO Organisation has continued in the years since, with our Managing Director, Lauren Louise Powell, taking part in this year’s MOBO Fringe in Manchester, attending numerous MOBO Awards over the years , and recently having the privilege of celebrating the launch of House of MOBO, because what Kanya built was never just an event. It was an infrastructure for Black British music, and organisations like ours have been stronger for existing alongside it.

She didn’t just create an awards show; she impacted Black Music forever.

We send our deepest condolences to her family, her team, and everyone whose life and career she shaped through her extraordinary vision and courage.

Rest well, Kanya. 🖤