The mother of rap star Kanye West has died at the age of 58 after cosmetic surgery developed complications.
Dr Donda West, who managed the star’s businesses and educational foundation and was the subject of his song Hey Mama, died in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Her publicist Patricia Green said she passed away “as the result of complications from a cosmetic surgical procedure”, but gave no more details.
West’s spokesman said the family “asks for privacy during this time of grief”.
The 30-year-old often spoke publicly of his close relationship with his mother. She raised him alone after her husband left when West was three.
Donda was a retired professor and former chairwoman of the Chicago State University English department. She was also CEO of West Brands LLC and co-founder of the Kanye West Foundation. The mother-son duo teamed up to develop a nonprofit agency that aimed to combat the dropout problem in high schools in 2005.
