Kanye West has thanked his fans for their support following the previously reported death of his mother over the weekend. His publicist told reporters yesterday that the hip hop star "would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of support and kind words".
Dr Donda West, a former English professor, had dedicated much of her time in recent years to managing her son's global hip hop career. She died in LA seemingly after complications following cosmetic surgery. The precise cause of death is yet to be confirmed. Although an autopsy was conducted yesterday, experts say no conclusion can be reached until the results of toxicology tests are confirmed, which may take weeks.
C'leb website TMZ.com has revealed that the plastic surgeon who operated on West before her premature death was Dr Jan Adams. Although West died after not during the procedure, meaning the death may have had nothing to do with negligence on Adams' part, various US media have dug up the fact that West has twice before had to settle out of court after malpractice lawsuits were launched against him, while earlier this year California's State Medical Board Executive Director David Thornton filed a complaint against Adams, mainly relating to two DUI arrests.
Meanwhile another plastic surgeon, Dr Andre Aboolian of Beverly Hills, has told reporters that Mrs West approached him about cosmetic surgery in June, but that he refused to operate until she got medical clearance because of a pre-existing condition which may cause a heart attack during surgery.
Meanwhile a number of former associates of Mrs West have being paying tribute to her, and talking about the close relationship between Donda and Kanye. The Chair of the English And Communications department at Chicago State University where West use to work told reporters: "They seemed very caring; they laughed a lot with each other. It was clear there was a very warm relationship between them".