Who is Jubilant Sykes? Grammy-nominated baritone killed at Santa Monica home; son arrested in ongoing homicide investigation

Jubilant Sykes, a Grammy-nominated classical and gospel singer, was fatally stabbed at his Santa Monica home Monday evening(December 8), authorities confirmed. His 31-year-old son, Micah Sykes, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Santa Monica police found the 71-year-old musician with critical stab wounds while responding to a reported assault. The singer was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sykes’s son, 31-year-old Micah Sykes, was taken into custody without incident inside the residence, while forensic experts continue processing evidence from the scene, including the alleged weapon, as the investigation unfolds.


Micah Sykes was booked at approximately 7 am on Dec. 9 and is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 11, according to inmate records.

His bail is set at $2 million, though no case for Sykes currently appears in the Los Angeles Superior Court’s online records. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told that, as of Dec. 9, “a case has not been presented by law enforcement.”

Who was Jubilant Sykes?

Jubilant Sykes was an acclaimed American baritone and gospel singer, celebrated for his versatile voice and powerful performances. Raised in Los Angeles, he began singing soprano as a child before developing into a baritone who excelled across classical, opera, jazz, and gospel genres.

He earned a Grammy nomination for his role as the Celebrant in Leonard Bernstein’s 2009 recording of Mass, performed with the Morgan State University Choir and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under Marin Alsop for Naxos Records.

Sykes lived in San Antonio, Southern California, with his wife Cecilia and their three sons.

Artists President David Thomas confirmed the “tragic death” of the “Grammy-nominated baritone, actor, husband, father, and cherished friend.”

"Jubilant's remarkable artistry touched millions, and his voice was rightly described as 'art at its highest expression.' Jubilant’s deep Christian faith perspective was the foundation of all that he was, and he will be greatly missed," Thomas said.

Sykes was also a film and stage actor, debuting in 2014’s Freedom with Cuba Gooding Jr. and performing in theater productions like Bloomer Girl (2001) and 1776 (2016) at New York City Center.