(KTVI) — Nick Cannon on Tuesday morning told viewers on his TV show that his youngest child has died from a brain tumor.
“I am here to show I can fight through this. I feel it, I am vulnerable, I am open, but I’m gonna make it through,” Cannon said, getting choked up several times in front of the live studio audience of “The Nick Cannon Show.”
“This is a special show dedicated to my beautiful son Zen,” he said.
Cannon explained that his 5-month-old son, Zen, had died from a brain tumor over the weekend.
Cannon said he took his son to the hospital because he thought Zen was suffering from sinus problems. He also said he noticed Zen had a big head, but joked that all of his kids had what he called a big “Cannon head.”
However, as the TV host explained, it turned out that Zen had a brain tumor. The infant had surgery at Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
Zen took a turn for the worse over Thanksgiving. Cannon said he decided to spend as much quality time as possible with Zen over the weekend, and woke up Sunday feeling like he needed to take Zen to see the ocean.
Cannon, who usually flies back to New York on Sunday to do his show, told his audience that he wasn’t sure what he should do. After heading to the airport, he decided to turn around, go back, and be with his son and family. Zen died soon after.
Cannon said of Zen’s mom, model Alyssa Scott, that she was the strongest woman he knew. He also said he leaned on his faith to get through this tough time. He didn’t pray for a miracle, he explained, but for the miracle of God’s strength.
Zen was Cannon’s seventh child, born over the summer.