Nick Cannon's 5-month-old son, Zen, has died of brain cancer

Nick Cannon's five-month-old son Zen has died from brain cancer.

During a taping of The Nick Cannon Show on Tuesday — which Cannon referred to as a "celebration of life" — the former America's Got Talent host told the audience that his infant son died last weekend from complications related to a brain tumour.

"This is a special show dedicated to my beautiful son, Zen," the actor said.

Cannon's son had a condition called hydrocephalus. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, hydrocephalus occurs when fluid builds up in the brain's cavities, causing them to widen and put pressure on the brain's tissues.

Zen was born in June 2021. Roughly two months later, Cannon and his partner Alyssa Scott took their son to the doctor after noticing that his head was enlarged and his breathing irregular. The check-up led to the diagnosis of a malignant tumour.

Though Cannon's son underwent surgery to have a shunt inserted — allowing fluid buildup caused by the tumour to drain — his condition deteriorated over American Thanksgiving weekend.

On Sunday, Cannon said he and Scott took their son to the ocean in California, and that Cannon held him "for the last time."

"I didn't know how I was going to handle today," Cannon told the audience. "But I wanted to grieve with my family."

Cannon has seven children — including six-month old twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, four-year-old son Golden, 11-month-old daughter Powerful Queen, and 10-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe. After his announcement, Cannon invited therapist Dr. Laura Berman on his show to discuss grieving the loss of a child.