Since the tragic death of his youngest son, Nick Cannon is proudly honoring Zen’s life by getting a tattoo depicting him as an angel. His tiny son’s portrait has a halo with wings and a rippling sash that reads ‘Zen.’
According to the Daily Mail, before revealing the tattoo on his left rib cage, Cannon first revealed the inking by displaying a framed photo of it on the Friday episode of his syndicated talk show Nick Cannon Show. He rolled a video of the nearly six-hour process, from the ink’s conception and stencil before it was placed on his body.
Cannon shared his seventh and youngest child with the model, Alyssa Scott, 28, and revealed the terrible news of the 5-month-old’s passing from brain cancer on Tuesday, Dec. 7.
Teary-eyed and choked up, he told his studio audience that Zen died after previously suffering from hydrocephalus—a condition where fluid builds up in the cavities of the brain, causing the head to increase in size and ultimately putting pressure on the brain. He explained that the tumor developed quickly around Thanksgiving, and he fought to spend as much quality time with Zen during his last days. He spent an emotional last weekend with Zen and Alyssa in Orange County, California, where they held him by the beach.
When commenting about the tattoo, Cannon stated: ‘I got the opportunity to actually go and get a tattoo of my son Zen as an angel on my rib. I’m still all bandaged up, and it hurts, right here, right now.”
He said it took nearly six hours to complete.
Despite the pain, Cannon had no regrets and is intentional about always keeping Zen with him. “I enjoyed every moment of the experience. To forever have my son, right here as my rib, right here at my side. That’s my angel.”