Medical negligence news
13/11/2007

Rapper's mother dies following cosmetic surgery

The mother of world famous rap star Kanye West has died after complications resulting from a cosmetic surgery procedure, the BBC has reported.

It is not currently known if her death was the result of medical negligence and her publicist has refused to comment on the issue, simply saying she passed away "as the result of complications from a cosmetic surgical procedure".

Kanye and his mother, Dr Donda West, were extremely close and he has paid tribute to her in the lyrics of several songs. She was also said to be hugely supportive when the rapper suffered serious personal injuries after being involved in a car accident in 2002.

Dr West was the chairwoman of the Kanye West Foundation, which was set up to improve literacy amongst youngsters and to prevent teenagers dropping out of school. She also recently published a book entitled Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Star.

Paying homage to the 58-year-old, Dr West's publicist said, "May Donda's work and deeds be an inspiration to each of us, may we start each day knowing that support of family and community are central to purpose."

If the rapper's mother's death does turn out to have been caused by a clinical blunder, it is likely that a medical negligence compensation claim will be launched.