Nick Cannon Honors Late Son on His 5th Birthday: ‘Zen’s Light Will Forever Shine in Our Hearts’

Nick Cannon recently celebrated an emotional day.

On Thursday, June 25, the actor, 45, shared photos on Instagram of him gathering at the beach with loved ones in honor of what would have been his son Zen‘s 5th birthday.

Cannon shares Zen — who was born on June 23, 2021 — with Alyssa Scott. The baby tragically passed away from a brain tumor at 5 months old in 2021.

Per Cannon’s Instagram post, the group had large images of the baby printed, lit candles, and enjoyed a cake featuring a photo of Zen. Additionally, the Masked Singer host shared a few snaps of himself and Scott on the beach holding hands.

“What a beautiful celebration of life for our Angel Zen Scott Cannon,” Cannon captioned the post. “‘For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts.’ — 2 Corinthians 4:6. Zen’s Light will forever shine in our hearts. We love you my son ❤️🕊️🙏🏾.”

The beach seems to hold significance for the comedian and Scott, as he told People in 2021 that some of their last moments with Zen were spent there.

“I was like, ‘We have to watch the sun rise and just be there with him one last time,'” Cannon said. “It was beautiful.”

The former Nickelodeon star is a father of 12 he shares 15-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe with his ex-wife, Mariah Carey; sons Golden, 9, and Rise, 3, and daughter Powerful, 5, with Brittany Bell; son Legendary, 4, with Bre Tiesi; daughter Onyx, 3, with LaNisha Cole; daughter Halo, 3, with Scott; twins Zion and Zillion, 5, and daughter Beautiful, 3, with Abby De La Rosa.