Today, TMZ revealed that Rihanna's father Ronald Fenty has passed away at the age of 70. A source told the outlet that he died in Los Angeles following a battle with a "brief illness." At the time of writing, it's unclear what illness he was suffering from.
Earlier this week, Rihanna's brother Rajad was photographed as he arrived at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Reportedly, the songstress was also in the vehicle, though she couldn't be seen in any of the photos. At the time of writing, she has not publicly addressed Fenty's passing.
Rihanna's relationship with her father wasn't always smooth sailing. He battled addiction in the past, and in 2011, she opened up about their rocky bond during an interview with Vogue.
"Like, what do I even mean to him?" she began at the time. "It's really 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! And then he does something so bizarre that I can't begin to wrap my mind around it."
Ronald Fenty
She went on to say that her father went to the press after she was allegedly assaulted by Chris Brown before checking on her. "My dad went to the press and just told them a bunch of lies," she claimed. "Because he hadn't talked to me after... that whole thing.... He never called to find out how I was doing, if I was alive, nothing. He just never called. He went straight to the press and got a check. And now he does it again."
Rihanna also sued her father in 2019, accusing him of using her Fenty brand name in an attempt to benefit his own company. She eventually dropped the suit. In 2020, she sent a ventilator to Barbados for him while he was battling the coronavirus.
"I thought I was going to die, to be honest," he shared during an interview with The Sun. "I have to say, I love you so much, Robyn." Reportedly, Rihanna and her family have gathered in Los Angeles to celebrate Fenty's life.
