Kanya King, the founder of the Mobo Awards, has died at the age of 57 after "a courageous and characteristically determined battle with colon cancer," the Mobo Organisation said.King, who played a major role in bringing black music and culture to the mainstream in the UK, was a single mother from a Kilburn council estate when she established the awards ceremony in 1996.

Kanya King, the founder of the Mobo Awards, has died at the age of 57 after "a courageous and characteristically determined battle with colon cancer," the Mobo Organisation said.King, who played a major role in bringing black music and culture to the mainstream in the UK, was a single mother from a Kilburn council estate when she established the awards ceremony in 1996.