Loved & Lost: Celebs Who’ve Dealt With The Passing of a Parent

Kanye West

Mother: Donda West | 2007

All of hip-hop grieved with Yeezie when his mother Donda West suffered an untimely death due to complications from plastic surgery in 2007. We watched him go through a public meltdown at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, followed by a series of other headlines that supported the notion that the rapper was going through it.

“Losing my mom, having no woman in my life to support me — I feel like I’m on my own and can only express it through my music.”

West references his mom on every album, but the burden of guilt still plagues him.

“I feel like I moved to California, then my mom moved to California, and she did stuff she wouldn’t have done if we’d stayed in Chicago,” he said. “If I’d never made it in the music business, it never would’ve happened.”

Five years later, we finally see some signs of him healing and becoming, truly one of the greatest stars of his time. He took to Twitter last month to announce his new design company, simply named, Donda.