Nick Cannon marked what would have been his late son Zen Scott Cannon’s fifth birthday by sharing an emotional tribute on Instagram.
In an Instagram post on June 26, Nick, his former partner Alyssa Scott, family members and friends came together to celebrate Zen. Nick reflected on his enduring grief and faith in the caption, which began with, “What a beautiful celebration of life for our Angel Zen Scott Cannon.”
Highlighting the memorial’s spiritual message, Nick included a passage from the Bible in the caption. “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts,” he wrote, before concluding with, “Zen’s Light will forever shine in our hearts. We love you my son.”
The celebration followed another deeply personal message Nick posted on Instagram on June 23, the date of Zen’s birthday. Sharing photos of baby Zen, he wrote, “6/23 will forever be a day of light! Turning our pain to purpose… We honor our beautiful son and the precious moments we got to share in the physical and the constant energy we share in the Spirit daily.”
Zen, the seventh of Nick’s 12 children, died in 2021 at five months old, three months after being diagnosed with brain cancer. He revealed the news during a December 2021 episode of his talk show, explaining that doctors had found a malignant brain tumor along with fluid accumulating in Zen’s head.
Since then, Nick and Alyssa have continued to honor Zen by supporting families facing similar hardships. In 2022, they announced the launch of Zen’s Light Foundation, an organization established in memory of their late son.
“We are proud to announce his new foundation that will help so many others in this world. “Zen’s Light” mission is to foster global excellence in hope, grief-care, and pediatric healthcare for families and children in need,” Nick wrote, in part, on Instagram at the time.
In 2025, Nick revealed a collaboration between the foundation and design studio ReisField to create a commemorative candle in honor of what would have been Zen’s fourth birthday.
“We’re partnering with ReisFields to launch the ‘Zen’s Light: A Celebration of Life Candle.’ Every purchase goes directly to supporting families affected by childhood cancer and other diseases,” he wrote alongside the Instagram announcement.
