Kanye West's mother, Donda West, only 58 years old, died
late on Saturday of as yet undisclosed causes. She was brought to
the Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center in Marina Del Rey by
paramedics before 9 p.m. that day, according to hospital spokeswoman
Cyndee Woelfle.
Woelfle said that West had had cosmetic surgery, and her
"problems were a result of the surgery, but it was not done at this
hospital." The Associated Press reported that according to a
coroner's official, the death may have been caused by complications
related to a plastic surgery procedure performed at a Southern
California Hospital. An autopsy will be conducted by
Wednesday.
In his song "Hey Mama," a tribute to his mother, Kanye
raps:
"Forrest Gump's mama said 'life is like a box of
chocolates'
My mama told me go to school, get your
doctorate
Something to fall back on, you could profit
with
But still supported me when I did the
opposite."
Kanye's publicist released the following
statement: "Kanye West, his family and friends would like to thank
everyone for the outpouring of support and kind words that have come in
from accross the country since the death of his mother, Dr. Donda
West.
"After working in higher education for 31 years, Dr.
Donda West and Kanye West co-founded the Kanye West Foundation with the
mission of helping to combat the severe dropout problem in high schools
across the country. The first and signature initiative of the
Kanye West Foundation is Loop Dreams. Designed to capitalize on
students' existing interest in hip-hop, Loop Dreams challenges students
to lear more about what's behind hip-hop culture in order to help them
develop skills, express themselves creatively and be
empowered.
"In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be
made in Dr. West's name to the Kanye West Foundation/Loop Dreams Teacher
Training Institute. Those donations can be made by visiting the
Foundation's web site, www.KanyeWestFoundation.org
or by mail at Kanye West Foundation, 8560 W. Sunset Blvd., West
Hollywood, CA 90069."
What a tragedy...hopefully the photogs will give Kanye
the peace and privacy he deserves in this time of grief.