Dominic Smithers
Nick Cannon has shared a heartbreaking tribute to his son on the anniversary of his death.
In December last year, the television presented revealed that his five-month-old baby Zen had tragically died from a brain tumour.
In a post to social media at the time, the 42-year-old explained that his son had been diagnosed with a condition called hydrocephalus.
Sadly, however, after undergoing surgery at Thanksgiving, Zen died.
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He said: "Over the weekend, I lost my youngest son to a condition called hydrocephalus... brain cancer.
"It’s tough. And I have my therapist here, who’s been helping us through it.
"This weekend I made an effort to spend the most quality time with Zen.
"We woke up on Sunday and went to the ocean with him and Alyssa [Zen's mum] and then I had to fly back to New York for the show.
"I got a call on my way to the airport to head back to Zen."
To mark the painful anniversary of Zen's passing, Cannon shared a photo of them together to his Instagram account.
In a long post, he said he had struggled to cope since he lost his son.
He wrote: "Physically I’m definitely on the mend but Mentally and Spiritually I’m broken. Been tossing and turning all night, and as much as I know I need rest, last night I couldn’t sleep at all.
"I can’t believe it’s been a year already since the toughest day of my life occurred. Such a painful anniversary.
"Losing a child has to be the heaviest, most dark and depressive experiences that I will never get over. A mixture of guilt, pain, and sorrow is what I suppress daily.
"I am far from perfect and often fall short and make decisions in my life that many question, but anyone who knows me knows my heart. I love hard, I love big and I love with my entire heart and soul, and I just wish my little man could’ve felt more of that love while he was here on Earth."
Cannon went on: "One of my Spiritual Leaders recently told me that I am in the midst of one of the most challenging seasons of my life, but encouraged me to be steadfast and know that all of this will only make me stronger, and to not lean on my own understanding but to rely on the the peace that surpasses all.
"But let me tell you, it’s tough… I know a few days ago I wrote a post from my hospital bed saying I will be okay and I just needed rest so don’t waste your prayers on me but I can definitely use those prayers right now…
"Continue to Peacefully Rest My Son, Zen Scott Cannon. We Love you Eternally."