Mike Mora, husband of eight years to Kelis, has died following a battle with stage 4 stomach cancer. A rep for Kelis confirmed the tragic news on Monday (March 14). “Sadly, it’s true that Mike Mora has passed away,” they expressed to Entertainment Tonight. “We would ask all to respect Kelis and her family’s privacy as of right now.”
Mora’s passing comes six months after he publicly revealed his diagnosis on social media. After presuming he had a stomach ulcer from “new labor intensive farm work that [he] was doing in the blistering heat,” the official diagnosis came on Sept. 28, 2020, just weeks before he and Kelis welcomed their daughter, Galilee.
“I thought the whole time that I just had an ulcer. With no idea what was about to come my way,” he explained in the Instagram post. “Here I was, in a hospital bed, during the middle of the pandemic. All alone.”
In a separate post, Mora remained strong and expressed why he chose to open up about his diagnosis. “I am posting this…after so much thought. Many hours thinking of what the right thing to do is. Not because of a selfish reason. not because I want people to feel bad or sorry for me and my family. I am posting this because life is full of the most unexpected situations,” he began.
“I never thought this could happen to me. At just 36, with 3 kiddos, and a wife that loves me. I want to be able to help those that might be experiencing something like this- a life altering disease full of questions and doubt- maybe, hopefully. By showing that it’s possible to make it through. You always see people post about how life is too short. How you should reach out to those you love no matter where life has taken you. It is the truth. Don’t take your time here, your time with friends, family, for granted. S**t can be over just like that!”
Mora and Kelis wed in 2014 and share two children, Shepherd and Galilee. Kelis has a son, Knight, from her first marriage to Nas.
VIBE sends our deepest condolences to Kelis and the Mora family during this time.