Nick Cannon and Alyssa Scott are celebrating their late son Zen.
The masked singer The host took to Instagram on Sunday, June 23, to share a photo of Zen, who died in December 2021 after being diagnosed with brain cancer. She would have been three years old.
“Today is the day we celebrate the life of my little Zen Scott Cannon, a true angel, so every June 23rd is hard,” Cannon captioned her post. “But the goal is always to try to turn pain into purpose. I love you Zen. Your light will shine forever my son. #LuzZens”.
Scott also acknowledged the date and posted his own tribute on his Instagram Stories. He posted a poster with a black and white Zen baby photo that read: “Celebrating the light of Zen. June 23, 2024.”
The former couple also share an 18-month-old daughter named Halo Marie.
Cannon announced his son's death on his talk show. Nick Cannon. “Today is special for all of you for many reasons, but it won't be easy. I haven’t even shared this with anyone, not even the team,” he said at the time. “I had a very hard weekend.”
During that episode, he explained that concerns began when he and Scott noticed that their son's head seemed larger than normal for a child who was only two months old.
“He had really interesting breathing and when he was two months old I realized… he had a good sized head, I called it a cannon head. We didn't think about it, she had a normal Cannon head. But I wanted to take him to the doctor to have his breathing and sinuses checked,” she said. “We thought it would be a routine process.”
After taking Zen to the doctor, they discovered a fluid buildup in his brain and a malignant tumor that had to be surgically removed.
“We were faithful and hopeful for that moment. We moved on, he was still playing with his brothers and sisters, I embraced every moment,” Cannon said. “Zen's mother, Alyssa, was the strongest woman I have ever seen. I never argued, I never got angry. She was excited when she had to be, but she was always the best mom and she is still the best mom…”
However, Zen's tumor grew rapidly before he passed away.
“I didn't know how I was going to face today, but I really wanted to cry with my family, the people who love you. I didn't want it to be any show, so I went back and forth on what I should do, but they always taught me: you get over it, you grow, and you keep pushing,” Cannon told his audience at the time. “I'm here to show that I can fight this, I'm sorry, I'm vulnerable, I'm open. “This is a special show dedicated to my beautiful son Zen.”
A year later, in 2022, both Cannon and Scott announced that they would start a foundation in honor of Zen called Zen's Light.
“June 23 will forever be a day of celebration. A beautiful lighting ceremony to honor the life of an Angel. The birth of Zen has now been transformed into the 'Light of Zen,'” their joint Instagram post read.
“We are proud to announce his new foundation that will help many others in this world. “Zen’s Light’s mission is to foster global excellence in hope, grief care, and pediatric healthcare for families and children in need.”
