Rihanna’s father, Ronald Fenty, has reportedly died. He was 70.
Ronald allegedly had a brief illness and died in Los Angeles on Saturday, May 31, according to TMZ and Starcom Network. (Starcom owns a chain of radio stations in Barbados, where Ronald and his family are from.)
Rihanna, 37, has not publicly addressed her father’s reported death. Us Weekly has reached out for comment.
The “Diamonds” singer (real name Robyn Fenty) is one of the children of Ronald and ex-wife Monica Braithwaite.
“I’m a Black woman. I came from a Black woman, who came from a Black woman, who came from a Black woman and I’m going to give birth to a Black woman. It’s a no-brainer. That’s who I am. It’s the core of who I am in spirit and DNA,” Rihanna previously told Essence in 2019 of her relationship with her mom. “My mother [showed me] how to fight through obstacles in life. I’m sure her mom taught her that and that’s how I’m going to be. We are impeccable, we’re special, and the world is going to have to deal with that.”
Despite a close-knit bond with her mom, Rihanna had a series of ups and downs with Ronald. In 2019, she sued her father and claimed he capitalized on her business empire. (Rihanna alleged that his Fenty Management talent firm profited off her own Fenty Beauty line and other trademarked eponymous ventures.)
“She is? Suing me? Why would she sue me? It’s my name!” he told OK! at the time, denying his daughter’s claims. “She’s never going to sue me — I’ll have to fight it!”
Rihanna ultimately filed to dismiss the lawsuit in September 2021.
In addition to Rihanna, Ronald is survived by his other children Kandy, Samantha, Jamie, Rorrey, Rajad and multiple grandchildren. Rihanna, for her part, shares sons RZA and Riot Rose with partner ASAP Rocky, with another baby on the way.
“When I got the news, I was so excited,” Ronald told TMZ in February 2024, referring to the moment the pop star confirmed she was expecting her second child during her Super Bowl performance. “I just hope they will have 10 fingers and 10 toes. I’m looking for a girl. Already have two grandsons [so I’m] looking for a granddaughter now.”
Ronald further gushed that Rocky, now 36, is “a very cool person.”
“I like him. “I think he’s going to be a great dad,” Ronald added at the time. “I know she’s going to be a great mom. She’s so happy. She was always talking about having a child — she was saying, ‘[I want] more than one [kid],’ then she said, ‘Maybe more than one’ and then she said, ‘Three. I would like to have three.’”
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