Nick Cannon’s Youngest Child Zen Has Died Due to a Brain Tumor Following Family’s Private Battle

Nick Cannon announced that his and Alyssa Scott‘s 5-month-old son, Zen, has died of a brain tumor. 

Cannon made the announcement on Tuesday, December 7, on The Nick Cannon Show, informing the audience that his youngest child had passed away after battling Hydrocephalus, a form of brain cancer. Cannon and Scott kept their son’s health condition private until revealing the devastating news.

Cannon and Scott welcomed Zen, his seventh child, on June 23 and the couple had noticed around 2 months that he had a “little sinus thing.” 

“I always noticed he had a cough and so I wanted to check it out,” Cannon said. “He had this interesting breathing and by the time he was two months, I noticed he had this nice sized head too, we called it a Cannon head. We didn’t think anything of it, but I wanted to take him to the doctor for his sinus and breathing.”  

During what Cannon and his family believed would be a “routine” visit, it was discovered that Zen had a malignant tumor and would have to have surgery immediately to drain the fluid.

“[Around] Thanksgiving, we had an interesting turn and the process sped up,” the emotional host told the audience who periodically shouted their support. “The tumor began to grow a lot faster.”

“This weekend, I made an effort to spend the most quality time I could spend with Zen,” Cannon continued. “I woke up on Sunday and [felt] like I want to go to the water, to the ocean. We had a chance to go to the ocean.”

Cannon and Scott watched the sunrise by the ocean with Zen.

“I had to fly back to New York for the show,” Cannon said, at this point breaking down in tears. “I got a call on my way to the airport to head back to Zen.”

“I turned around and not only did we get to see the sunrise, we got to see the sunset too,” Cannon said. “I held my son for the last time. It was a beautiful setting to spend the day.”

Cannon thanked his family, specifically Scott, for the support, as well as the doctors, nurses and hospice care workers who cared for the family. 

“I have so much faith in the Lord, faith in God,” he said. “People will often tell me to pay for the miracle. I prayed for the miracle of God’s strength, and that’s why I’m here today. I can fight through this.”

Cannon is also a father to six other children Monroe and Moroccan, whom he shares with Mariah Carey, Golden and Powerful Queen, with Brittany Bell, and Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, with Abby De La Rosa. Zen was Cannon and Scott’s first child together.