Dr. Donda West, mother of Kanye West and former chairwoman of Chicago State University’s English department, has died at the young age of 58, a spokesman for the rapper said. “The family respectfully asks for privacy during this time of grief”, said the spokesman. The rapper was very close to his mom, and he even dedicated her the song Hey Mama on his 2005 album Late Registration in which he sings: “Hey Mama, I wanna scream so loud for you, cuz I’m so proud of you … I appreciate what you allowed for me. I just want you to be proud of me.” She also frequently defended her son against critics “I support my baby,” she said in a Chicago Sun-Times interview. “He is telling how he feels and he is speaking the truth as he sees it.” Dr Donda West also published a book called Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Star, in May of this year, in which she paid homage to her famous son. Rhymefest, Kanye West’s writing partner, said that “She was everyone’s mom. A spirit never dies, a spirit lasts forever.”

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