Nicki Minaj's 64-year-old father was killed in a hit-and-run. Robert Maraj was struck by a car while walking along a road in Mineola on Long Island on Friday evening, according to Billboard. The vehicle, which has not been identified by police, then fled the scene. Maraj was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition and was pronounced dead the following day.
The case is under investigation and no suspect has been apprehended.
Minaj has not commented on her father's death on social media but she has posted photos of the two of them together in the past. In her more recent Instagram posts, the rapper shared a photo of her 4-month-old son, who she shares with her husband, Kenneth Petty. Minaj gave birth on Sept. 30 in Los Angeles, according to USA Today.
"#PapaBear thank you so very much for choosing me to be your mama," she captioned the image, adding that becoming a mom was "by far the most fulfilling job" she had ever taken on.
"Sending love to all the superhero mothers out there. Big hugs to all the women who have been pregnant during this challenging time," she wrote.
Minaj previously revealed that she had an abortion as a teen and was still "haunted" by her decision.
"I thought I was going to die," Minaj said, according to Rolling Stone. "I was a teenager. It was the hardest thing I'd ever gone through."
She said the abortion has "haunted me all my life." She rapped about it on a mixtape track "Autobiography" and alludes to it in her album "The Pinkprint."
"It'd be contradictory if I said I wasn't pro-choice. I wasn't ready. I didn't have anything to offer a child," Minaj added.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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