Kanye West's Mother Dies -- A Mystery

Kanye WestKanye West's mother, Dr. Donda West, 58, has died. Multiple reports indicate that Dr. West's death may have been a result of complications from some sort of surgery.

Kanye was in London when he was told. He is on his way back to the U.S.

West often spoke about the close relationship he shared with his mother. Dr. West worked as the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University before retiring to become her son's manager.

Kanye's mom was the CEO of West Brands, LLC at the time of her death. She was also Chair of the Kanye West Foundation.

Kanye's writing partner, Rhymefest, confirmed Dr. West's death on Chicago radio station 107.5 WGCI, calling her a "mother for the community and a mother for one of Chicago's greatest heroes."

Calls to Kanye's management were not immediately returned.

Tags: kayne west, KayneWest

Reader Comments

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76. Kanye - stay strong bro! I'm sorry for your loss, but stay strong man!

Posted at 8:05PM on Nov 11th 2007 by SNJ

77. stay strong brother, sorry for your loss, man

Posted at 8:06PM on Nov 11th 2007 by SNJ

78. Man! The most saddest and hardest thing to go through. I will mos def keep him & his fam in my prayers. Stay up Kanye!

Posted at 11:14PM on Nov 11th 2007 by CaliFan

79. p.s. to the Wests: Ph D.s do not use the title 'doctor'. That's customary only if one has an M.D. An advanced academic degree does not a doctor make.

If mom was so great at English, I wonder why the son struggles so much with the language?

Posted at 8:14PM on Nov 11th 2007 by Am I the only lawyer on here?

80. Condolsences. I am so sorry for your lost.

Posted at 8:16PM on Nov 11th 2007 by Sunshine

81. only lawyer on here- you, sir, are ignorant. it is indeed customary and appropriate for a phd to use the title 'doctor'. besides, what does that have to do with this thread about her passing? show a little respect and keep your mouth closed if you can't say anything nice.

Posted at 8:22PM on Nov 11th 2007 by bagina

82. So sorry to hear of your mother's passing. May God bless her soul and carry you through your time of sorrow.

Posted at 8:25PM on Nov 11th 2007 by me

83. I am the farthest thing from a Kanye West fan but why would anyone be glad that someone's mother died? Have you no soul?

Posted at 8:39PM on Nov 11th 2007 by Rachel

84. I just want to say that i'm so sorry for your lose and i hope you find the strength you need to get through this trying time... God bless you and your Mother.

Posted at 8:39PM on Nov 11th 2007 by Melissa

85. Also to the lawyer dude:

I bet my life you are not a lawyer- you CLAIM to be a lawyer, so you had to go to school; you are trying to tell me that not ONE of you professor used Dr. in front of their name for the 7-8 years that you studied--- NOT ONE!!! Since you went to law school-I'm sure none of your professors were medical doctors-

Your certainly not a lawyer, unemployed and dumbass, but not a lawyer

(last but not least, if you are be so kind to tell us your name so I can make a mental note to never call you-- thanks)

Posted at 8:50PM on Nov 11th 2007 by jade

86. I can't even imaging the pain Kanye West is going through at this point. Its almost irrelavent for me to even attempt to ease his pain by saying something here or there. However, when I received the news, I did pray for the pain to be reduced on him by God's ability. My mother is my everything. Sometimes I feel as if she's the daughter and I'm the mother. I could hardly handle the thought of what would be needed of me in case such a hard situation was brought on me and my family. God bless you, Kanye. A great percentage of the world morns with you. A percentage who may have never been blessed with the opportunity to meet Dr. Donda West. However, due to the power of your words, creativity, and spirit; we are here for you, will pray for you, and will keep you in our hearts. God bless you and your family.

Posted at 3:34PM on Nov 12th 2007 by keli

87. unfortunately, Kanye's mom was having plastic surgery at the time of her death. A breast enhancement and tummy tuck. Sorry for your loss.

Posted at 9:29PM on Nov 11th 2007 by larich1216

88. Deepest condolences to you, Ye.

Posted at 8:58PM on Nov 11th 2007 by Shootingstar

89. Kanye..I am so sorry for your lost..I lost my mom 4 years ago, and it and still is the hardest thing I am and have gone through. Loosing a mother is so very hard..I pray for you...friend

Posted at 8:59PM on Nov 11th 2007 by friend

90. So sad to hear of Dr. West's passing. It seems like only days ago she spoke about Kanye's special treatment of her during a TV Mother's Day celebratio. It was clear they had a special bond. Such a relatively young woman to die so soon. But God knows best. Deepest sympathy to the West Family and Friends.

Posted at 9:13PM on Nov 11th 2007 by Janina

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