Ronald Fenty, Rihanna’s father, has passed away, as confirmed by PEOPLE. He was seventy years old.
Starcom Network, the first source of the information, said that Fenty passed away in Los Angeles after “a brief illness.” The official cause and date of death have not yet been disclosed.
Sources informed the source, located in Rihanna’s native Barbados, that Fenty’s family was there throughout the period surrounding his death.
Photos acquired by TMZ depict Rihanna’s brother, Rajad Fenty, arriving into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on May 28. The report said that the singer was there in the car as well.
Rihanna’s representatives did not promptly reply to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Saturday, May 31.
Rihanna, presently pregnant with her third child, was born to Fenty and mother Monica Braithwaite in February 1988. The celebrity is already a mother to kids Rza, aged 2, and Riot, aged 1, with A$AP Rocky.
Fenty and Braithwaite, in addition to Rihanna and Rajad, were also parents to Rorrey. Rihanna has three half-siblings from her father’s prior relationships: sisters Samantha and Kandy, and brother Jamie.
Fenty and Braithwaite reared their family in Bridgetown, Barbados, where Rihanna resided until the age of 16. They resided in a home on a street that has since been dubbed Rihanna Drive.
The couple parted ways while the “Love on the Brain” artist was young, and they finalized their divorce in 2002, when Rihanna was 14 years old.
Rihanna’s relationship with her father has seen fluctuations throughout the years.
Following the attack by her then-boyfriend Chris Brown in 2009, Fenty allegedly spoke with the media over the event without her daughter’s approval. Rihanna subsequently discussed the issue in a Vogue interview, describing the scenario as “really strange.”
“You grow up with your father, you know him, you are a part of him, for goodness’ sakes!” she said, per Billboard. “And then he does something so bizarre that I can’t begin to wrap my mind around it.”
A year later, Rihanna revealed to Oprah that she “repaired” her relationship with Fenty, though they continued to be at odds, including in 2019, when Rihanna sued her father for allegedly exploiting her name for financial gain.
She claimed, among other complaints, that her father founded a talent development company in 2017 called Fenty Entertainment, posing as her manager to solicit new clients. However, three weeks before the case went to trial in 2021, Rihanna filed to dismiss the lawsuit, according to the BBC.
Fenty and Braithwaite reared their family in Bridgetown, Barbados, where Rihanna resided until the age of 16. They resided in a home on a street that has since been dubbed Rihanna Drive.
The couple parted ways while the “Love on the Brain” artist was young, and they finalized their divorce in 2002, when Rihanna was 14 years old.
Rihanna’s relationship with her father has seen fluctuations throughout the years.
Following the attack by her then-boyfriend Chris Brown in 2009, Fenty allegedly spoke with the media over the event without her daughter’s approval. Rihanna subsequently discussed the issue in a Vogue interview, describing the scenario as “really strange.”
“You are raised by your father, you are familiar with him, you are an integral part of him, for heaven’s sake!” she said, according to Billboard. “Subsequently, he performs an action so peculiar that I am unable to comprehend it.”
A year later, Rihanna disclosed to Oprah that she had “repaired” her relationship with Fenty, however tensions persisted, notably in 2019 when Rihanna litigated against her father for allegedly using her name for monetary benefit.
She said, among other grievances, that her father established a talent development firm in 2017 named Fenty Entertainment, masquerading as her manager to attract new customers. Three weeks before to the trial in 2021, Rihanna submitted a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, as reported by the BBC.