Grace Community Church mourns murder of member, celebrated Christian singer Jubilant Sykes

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Thursday, December 11, 2025

Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, is mourning the loss of a “longtime key member” of the church’s music ministry, Grammy-nominated gospel and opera singer, Jubilant Sykes. He was found stabbed to death in his home by police who arrested his son on Monday. The beloved singer was 71.

“In moments like these, our church family gathers not only to mourn, but also to give thanks — to acknowledge together the goodness of God displayed in a life He graciously lent to us for a season,” the church said in a statement Tuesday.

“Jubilant was a man whose name suited him well. His life radiated the joy of one who had tasted the mercy of God. Though known to many around the world for his remarkable baritone voice, those of us who walked with him in fellowship came to treasure something far deeper: a humble, steady faith, and a heart that longed for the beauty of Christ to be seen and heard through everything he did.”

A press statement from the Santa Monica Police Department said officers responded to a 911 call from the singer’s home on Delaware Avenue at approximately 9:20 p.m. local time about an assault in progress. When they got to the house they found the singer “with critical injuries consistent with a stabbing.” He was pronounced dead at the scene and his 31-year-old son Micah Sykes was taken into custody.

“The suspect will be booked for homicide, and the case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration,” the statement said. “Forensic specialists are processing physical evidence, including the weapon recovered at the scene. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.”

Lt. Lewis Gilmour, a spokesman for the Santa Monica Police Department, told The New York Times that it was the late singer’s wife, Cecelia Sykes, who called police to the home on Monday. His family further stated that Micah Sykes had a history of mental illness, but it was not immediately clear if his condition played a role in the murder.

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A post shared by Jubilant Sykes (@jubilantsykes)

Sykes fathered three sons with his wife, according to his bio. On his Instagram page, he often expressed his love for his children and referred to Micah Sykes as “the artist.”

“Nothing ‘instant’ about this...Just love his smile!” the doting father shared in one post from 2020 about Micah.

The classically trained vocalist’s distinct style drew on gospel, jazz and folk music influences to deliver riveting performances around the world.

“His unique gifts, have taken him from such diverse stages as the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Arena di Verona in Italy, London’s Barbican Center to the New Orleans Jazz Festival, the Apollo Theater and Hollywood Bowl, among hundreds of other venues around the world,” his bio said.

Sykes was nominated for best classical album at the 2010 Grammy Awards for his performance in Leonard Bernstein’s “Mass.” He has also collaborated with such artists as Julie Andrews, Terence Blanchard, John Beasley, Renée Fleming, Josh Groban, Christopher Parkening, Patrice Rushen, Carlos Santana, Jennifer Warren and Brian Wilson.

Beyond his worldly accolades, however, Grace Community Church remembered Sykes as a “beloved brother” who began singing for the congregation in 1978.

“From his earliest years in Los Angeles to his first time singing at Grace Church in 1978, God was shaping in Jubilant a gift that would one day draw audiences into a place of reflection and wonder. Whether he was singing opera or classical to thousands outside the church, or hymns and worship inside the church, there was always a distinct sincerity in his expression — a conviction that his voice was not his own but entrusted to him for the glory of God and the encouragement of others,” the church said.

“Above all, we remember Jubilant as a beloved brother. His presence among us was marked by generosity, warmth and a genuine love for the Word of God. He worshiped beside us, prayed with us, and found joy in the fellowship of believers. Many here will recall moments when his incomparable voice lifted our hearts heavenward — not as a performance, but as an offering.”

The church, which also offered love and prayers to Sykes’ family, further noted that the singer’s life is “a testimony to the truth that beauty, when surrendered to God, becomes a servant of hope.”

“As we grieve his earthly absence, we do so with the assurance he held dear: that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord,” the church wrote. “The same Savior who sustained him in life now welcomes him into eternal joy, where every redeemed voice joins the song that does not fade.”