Rihanna’s father, Ronald Fenty, has reportedly died at age 70.
Fenty reportedly died Saturday morning in Los Angeles. News of Fenty’s passing was first shared by Starcom Network News, a local radio station in Barbados.
A cause of death was not immediately known, though Starcom reported he had a “brief illness.”
Members of the family are reportedly gathering in California to honor Fenty’s life.
The Independent has reached out to representatives for Rihanna for comment.
The “Umbrella” singer, who recently announced her third pregnancy with partner A$AP Rocky, has not yet publicly commented on her father’s death.
Photos obtained by Page Six revealed Rihanna’s brother, Rajad Fenty, was seen arriving at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Wednesday to visit his father. The “Diamonds” singer was believed to have also been in the car.
Rihanna and her father had a tumultuous relationship following his divorce from her mother, Monica Braithwaite, and his reported struggles with alcohol.
Speaking to Vogue in 2011, Rihanna called her relationship with Fenty “strange.”
“That’s the only word I can think of to describe it, because you grow up with your father, you know him, you are a part of him, for goodness’ sakes!” the singer said.
“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,” Rihanna said, referring to when Fenty sold information to the media after she was assaulted by her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown in February 2009.
The two also had a falling out over the use of the Fenty name.
The singer, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, filed a lawsuit against her father in 2019, accusing him of having ignored several requests not to seek to conduct business on her behalf. The suit also claimed he attempted to trademark the Fenty name, even though the singer’s company had already done so.
Rihanna eventually dropped the case.
Despite the reported heartaches, Fenty also continued to celebrate his daughter’s triumphs.
When Rihanna announced her pregnancy news in 2022, Fenty was “ecstatic.”
“I’m so happy that I jumped for joy. I’m still so excited,” he told Page Six. “Rihanna always said that she wanted children, she loves kids. She always takes care of her cousins’ kids… she’s going to be a good mom.”
