Son Arrested in Grammy-Nominated Singer's Fatal Stabbing

Grammy-nominated singer Jubilant Sykes was fatally stabbed inside his California home on Monday, allegedly by his own son. A third person called 911 to report an assault in progress around 9:20pm, per KTLA. Santa Monica police found 71-year-old Sykes, a gospel and opera singer, with "critical injuries consistent with a stabbing," per Rolling Stone. He died at the scene. Also inside, officers found the suspected weapon and Sykes' 31-year-old son, Micah Sykes, who was taken into custody without incident. He was booked on suspicion of homicide, with bail set at $2 million.

No possible motive has been publicly disclosed. Authorities are asking anyone with information to reach out. Sykes was known internationally as a baritone who performed with major orchestras and at prestigious venues, including the Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall, per the Guardian. He earned a Grammy nomination for his role as the Celebrant in the 2009 recording of Leonard Bernstein's "Mass." A friend describes him as a "good-hearted person" with a "beautiful family," but one son who is a "bad man," per KTLA. Micah Sykes had been subject to a 2017 restraining order after a woman claimed he showed "signs of mental instability" and had been "violent with his own family members," per Rolling Stone.