Rap superstar Kanye West's mother has died at the age of 58.
Dr Donda West passed away on Saturday in a Los Angeles hospital.
A spokesperson for West confirmed the death saying "The family respectfully asks for privacy during this time of grief."
There was noword on the cause of her death.
Kanye had just landed in London when he learned of his mother's death. He immediately flew to Los Angeles to join fellow family members.
The rapper had a close relationship with his mother, who raised him as a single mother in Chicago after divorcing his father Ray, a former Black Panther, when Kanye was 3.
Kanye recorded a tribute to Donda called Hey Mama which appeared on his 2005 album Late Registration.
The song included the words "Hey Mama, I wanna scream so loud for you/ 'Cause I'm so proud of you/ Let me tell you what I'm about to do ... I appreciate what you allowed for me, I just want you to be proud of me. "You're unbreakable, unmistakable/ Highly capable, lady that's makin loot/ A livin' legend too, just look at what heaven do/ Send us an angel, and I thank you (Hey Mama)."
The song became the ring tone she played on her cell phone, People reports.
Donda was formerly an English professor before taking on the position of Kanye's manager in 2004. She was also CEO of West Brands LLC and co-founder of the Kanye West Foundation. She recently released a book called Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar.
