Renowned Grammy-nominated musician Jubilant Sykes has tragically passed away at the age of 71, following a stabbing incident at his family home.

The Santa Monica Police Department released a statement on Tuesday, December 9, confirming that Sykes was discovered with severe injuries indicative of a stabbing and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report obtained by Us Weekly.

Authorities identified the alleged perpetrator as Sykes’ own son, Micah Sykes. The 31-year-old was present at the home when law enforcement arrived and was subsequently taken into custody without any resistance. Micah is facing charges of homicide.

Investigators have secured the crime scene and acquired a search warrant. A forensic team is set to analyze physical evidence, including the weapon that was reportedly found at the scene.

The entertainment world has experienced significant losses throughout 2025. This summer saw the passing of beloved figures such as Anne Burrell, Ozzy Osbourne, Hulk Hogan, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and Brandon Blackstock. The sorrow continued in September with the death of actor Robert Redford, and in October, the world bid farewell to celebrated individuals including zoologist Jane Goodall, actress Diane Keaton, and Grammy-winning R&B artist D’Angelo, among others.

The incident, which was contained to the single property, remains under investigation. Micah has not publicly addressed the incident.

According to a report by Rolling Stone, published on Tuesday, Micah was the subject of a restraining order obtained by a “Southern Californian woman” in 2017. A petition obtained by the outlet reportedly read, “Micah shows signs of mental instability. His behavior is unpredictable. Micah poses a real threat … and he has been violent with his own family members.”

The outlet included details of the alleged filing which claimed that Micah “approached the woman outside a church and told her he loved her and was convinced she loved him back.”

The alleged filing then claimed that a man “intervened on the woman’s behalf,” which prompted Micah to allegedly ask the man whether he had “a sharp object” in his back pocket.

On July 20, actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner drowned at the Playa Grande beach in Costa Rica during a family getaway. He was 54. “The victim appears to have entered the sea and was apparently swept away by a current,” the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) of Costa Rica told Us in a statement on July 21. “The […]

The filing also allegedly noted that Micah was later “placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold” after an attempted break-in at the man’s father’s home.

The restraining order was reportedly granted in October 2017 following a court hearing.

According to a report by The New York Times, published on Tuesday, Jubilant, an opera singer nominated for a 2010 Grammy for his recording with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, appeared in a production of Porgy and Bess which played at the Metropolitan Opera in 1990. Other performances were staged in iconic venues including New York City’s Carnegie Hall, Washington D.C.’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and London’s Barbican Center, per the outlet.

Jubilant, a baritone singer, featured on the soundtrack for the 1990 film Pastime, and served in acting roles within 2014’s Freedom and 2023’s The Descent. He also had a role in the forthcoming production of The Descent Part II which is currently in post-production, per Jubliant’s IMDB page.

Hollywood is mourning The Cosby Show actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who died on Sunday, July 20, at age 54. News of Warner’s death stunned and devastated his friends and colleagues, many of whom shared tributes to the late star via social media on Monday, July 21. Tracee Ellis Ross, who starred on the BET series Reed […]

Jubilant said in an interview with National Public Radio (NPR) in 2022 that he loved all forms of musical performance. “My singing is like breathing – it’s an extension of me. I don’t think of it as extraordinary. It’s my passion,” he told the outlet at the time.

Jubilant was born in Los Angeles and sang as a soprano when he was a child, per a report by The Guardian, published on Tuesday. He then found his feet as a baritone and would “also sing jazz and gospel” for audiences.