Grammy-nominated gospel singer Jubilant Sykes was stabbed to death in his Santa Monica home late Sunday, and his son was taken into custody at the scene, police said.
The 71-year-old victim, a prominent singer as well as an actor, was pronounced dead shortly after police arrived at the residence, according to Santa Monica Police Lt. Lewis Gilmore. There, they also discovered his son, 31-year-old Micah Sykes, still inside the Delaware Avenue home. He was booked on suspicion of homicide.
Over his career, Jubilant Sykes performed in venues around the world and across genres — opera, gospel, spirituals, show tunes, folk and pop — working with figures including Renée Fleming, Terence Blanchard, Carlos Santana, Julie Andrews and Brian Wilson. His resume included the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Apollo Theater and the Metropolitan Opera. In 2010, he earned a Grammy nomination for his recording of Leonard Bernstein’s “Mass.”
On Sunday, Sykes’ wife, Cecelia, initially reported the incident as an assault. She told investigators her son had a history of mental illness, though detectives have not determined whether it played a role in the killing.
“The suspect was cooperative and taken into police custody without incident,” Gilmore said. ”The entire tragedy took place within the confines of the family home.”
Police had not received any recent domestic calls for service involving the family prior to the incident, and the motive remains under investigation, police said.
“She wasn’t really aware of an altercation or an argument that led up to the stabbing,” Gilmore said, adding that Cecelia Sykes did not report feeling endangered during the incident. “I know the suspect had free access to the house. It is unclear if he was living there on a full-time or part-time basis, but it is the family home and he was allowed to be there.”
Police believed only the couple and their son were inside at the time.
Jubilant Sykes was born in Los Angeles in 1954, and his unique first name came courtesy of his mother.
“She named me that simply because she wanted me to be jubilant,” Sykes told The Times in 1996. “And when it comes to music, I am.”
He grew up in the city and sang soprano as a boy until his voice changed. Sykes later said he lost interest in music for a bit until a music teacher showed him how to use his new teen voice.
“I can’t remember ever not singing,” he told The Times in 1999, recalling music filling the house and piano lessons as a child.
After graduating from high school, Sykes majored in music at Cal State Fullerton.
“I just threw myself into it, totally clueless,” he said years later.
His shift toward classical singing was cemented after he won first place in the Metropolitan Opera’s Los Angeles regional auditions, leading to a debut at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1990.
He also appeared on film soundtracks and took occasional acting roles, including in the Cuba Gooding Jr. film “Freedom,” and in the musical “1776” at New York City Center. In Southern California, he performed locally, including on the opening-night bill for the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center in 2008 and a 2006 performance with Carlos Santana at the Hollywood Bowl.
Jubilant Sykes is survived by his wife and three sons.
An investigation of Sunday’s fatal stabbing is underway, according to Police Lt. Gilmore.
Details on Micah Sykes’ bail and his first court appearance were not immediately available.
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