Nick Cannon is celebrating the life of his late son Zen on what would have been the little boy’s 3rd birthday. The Masked Singer host, 43, took to Instagram on Sunday, June 23, to pay tribute to his son with Alyssa Scott, who died in December 2021 after being diagnosed with brain cancer.
Sharing a black-and-white photo with his son, Cannon wrote, “Today is the day we celebrate the life of my little guy Zen Scott Cannon, truly an Angel so every 6/23 is a tough one. But the goal is always to try to turn pain into purpose. I love you Zen. Your light will shine forever my Son. #ZensLight.” Scott, who also shares 18-month-old daughter Halo with Cannon, also shared insight into how she marked the milestone, posting on her Instagram Story a sign for her son that read, “Celebrating Zen’s light. June 23, 2024.”
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Cannon, who shares 10 other children with five other women, announced Zen’s passing in December 2021. The talk show host announced on-air that his 5-month-old son had died after being diagnosed with brain cancer three months prior. “He had this real interesting breathing and by the time he was two months old I noticed…he had this nice sized head, I called it a Cannon head. We didn’t think anything of it, he had a normal Cannon head. But I wanted to take him to the doctor to get the breathing and the sinus thing checked out,” Cannon said on his show at the time. “We thought it would be a routine process.”
Doctors soon discovered Zen had fluid building up in his brain and a malignant tumor that required surgery. “We were faithful and hopeful for that time. We carried on, he was still just playing with his brothers and sisters, I embraced every moment,” said Cannon. “Zen’s mom, Alyssa, was just the strongest woman I’ve ever seen. Never had an argument, never was angry. Was emotional when she needed to be but always the best mom, and continues to be the best mom…”
Zen’s health then took a turn around Thanksgiving of that year as the tumor began to grow “a lot faster,” and his parents would say goodbye to him a month later. Cannon and Scott announced a new foundation in Zen’s honor in 2022, writing on Instagram at the time, “June 23rd will forever be a day of celebration. A beautiful lighting ceremony to honor the life of an Angel. Zen’s birth has now transformed into ‘Zen’s Light.’” They continued, “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.”
