Nick Cannon is remembering his late son Zen with an emotional beachside celebration of life, sharing intimate photos from the June 25 gathering that brought together family and loved ones to honor the child whose life was cut tragically short by brain cancer.
Posted to Cannon's Instagram, the images show attendees dressed almost entirely in white as they gathered by the ocean in tribute to Zen. One photo captures Cannon standing alongside Zen's mother, Alyssa Scott, as relatives hold large portraits of the infant and signs reading "Forever In My Heart." Another shows the pair cutting a cake decorated with Zen's image while children and family members surround them.
Alongside the photos, Cannon shared a passage from 2 Corinthians 4:6, writing, "What a beautiful celebration of life for our Angel Zen Scott Cannon. '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 tribute comes after Cannon and Scott faced one of the most difficult decisions of their lives back in 2021. Zen was just two months old when doctors diagnosed him with brain cancer after his parents noticed irregular breathing. Although surgeons placed a shunt in his skull to relieve pressure caused by fluid buildup, the tumor continued to grow.
Speaking to NBC News about the experience, Cannon said the family's focus shifted away from aggressive treatment and toward making Zen's remaining time as meaningful as possible. "We were having quality-of-life conversations," he explained. "We could have had that existence where he would've had to live in the hospital, hooked up to machines, for the rest of the time."
Instead, he and Scott chose not to pursue chemotherapy. "I didn't want him to suffer," Cannon said, adding that the family spent time making memories, including visits to Disneyland and monthly birthday celebrations.
Zen died on December 5, 2021, after the family spent one final day together holding him at the beach.
Cannon is the father of 12 children. He shares twins Monroe and Moroccan with ex-wife Mariah Carey; Golden Sagon, Powerful Queen, and Rise Messiah with Brittany Bell; twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir and daughter Beautiful Zeppelin with Abby De La Rosa; Legendary Love with Bre Tiesi; Onyx Ice Cole with LaNisha Cole; and daughter Halo Marie with Scott.
