Kanye West's Mother is Dead

Donda West 58 years of age died on Saturday, November 10th, 2007 after complications from a "cosmetic procedure," that was being performed at Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center in Los Angeles. At this time the exact cause of death is unknown and reports indicate that further information will be made available after an autopsy is performed.

Donda West served as CEO of West Brands LLC, Chairwoman of The Kanye West Foundation, and is the former Chairwoman of Chicago State University's English department. Kanye and Donda were a very close knit team as evidenced by Kanye's record "Hey Mama" and their recent book collaboration "Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Star." Most notably, fans can call upon the lyrics from "Hey Mama" when Kanye says,

"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."

Undoubtedly, this unexpected and untimely death is weighing heavily on Kanye and his family, as such a spokesperson for Kanye released a statement on behalf of the family- "The family respectfully asks for privacy during this time of grief."

BET, VH1, Myspace, and the like all have articles posted, but CNN offers a video from reporter Lola Ogunnaike which sheds light on Kanye's close bond with his mother and the details of her passing.

If you would like to offer up any comments regarding Kanye's loss please feel free to leave your thoughts. To Kanye and family I wish you strength and fellowship during this time of grief and to Donda West may you rest in peace.