Rihanna‘s father, Ronald Fenty, has passed away at the age of 70. Starcom Network News, a radio station based in Barbados, Rihanna’s home country, first reported the news, followed by TMZ and Page Six.
Sources close to the family told Starcom that relatives had gathered in California to be with Ronald in his final days and to commemorate his life.
Even Page Six showed some photos of Rihanna’s younger brother, Rajad Fenty, arriving at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The We Found Love singer was believed to be in the car as well.
ALSO READ| Rihanna’s dad, Ronald Fenty, passes away at 70. How close was the singer to him?
How did Rihanna’s dad die?
Ronald died early Saturday morning in Los Angeles after a “brief illness.” An official cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
The pop superstar, who is currently expecting her third child with longtime partner A$AP Rocky, has not yet made a public statement about her father’s passing.
Rihanna and Ronald Fenty’s relationship was a bit complicated
Ronald and Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, shared a complicated relationship over the years. He reportedly struggled with substance abuse, and their bond was marred by emotional distance and conflict. Ronald and Rihanna’s mother, Monica Braithwaite, divorced when Rihanna was just 14 years old.
Rihanna told Vogue in a 2011 interview, “That’s the only word I can think of to describe it because you grow up with your father … you are a part of him for goodness sakes!”
“And then he does something so bizarre that I can’t begin to wrap my mind around it… You hear the horror stories about people going behind people’s backs and doing strange things, but you always think, ‘Not my family. My father would never do that to me.’”
However, in a 2012 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Rihanna revealed that she and Ronald had repaired their relationship. “He taught me everything, and as awful as he was to my mom, at times, it didn’t compare to how great he was as a father,” she said, per People Magazine report.
“And I had to come to terms with that, and I was able to close that gap with him.”
But in 2019, Rihanna sued her father for allegedly misusing her name to promote his talent development company, Fenty Entertainment. She accused him of falsely claiming the business was affiliated with her brand.
