Longtime Virginia State Delegate Barry Knight dies from kidney cancer
Knight was a farmer by trade.
Barry Knight was a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Two years ago, Knight announced that he had been diagnosed with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer. He passed away on February 19, 2026.
Memorials to Knight have been released on a bi-partisan basis. Among the Democrats to release statements have been Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger and House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott. Republicans to do so have been led by House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore.
Knight was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates for the first time in 2008. Initially running in the 81st District, he was eventually moved to the 98th District.
A native of Arlington County, Virginia near the District of Columbia, Barry Knight graduated from Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach. He was married to Paula Jane Whitehurst, with whom he had three sons.