By Roman Wolfe
The family of superstar rapper Kanye West are making funeral arrangements for Dr. Donda Williams-West in Oklahoma City, who passed away on Saturday.
A spokesperson for Howard-Harris Funeral home told KOCO Channel 5 in Oklahoma City that the family had contacted them in preparation for Dr. West’s funeral.
Kanye West released the following statement:
"Kanye West, his family and friends would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of support and kind words that have come in from across the country since the death of his mother, Dr. Donda West."
"After working in higher education for 31 years, Dr. Donda West and Kanye West co-founded the Kanye West Foundation with the mission of helping to combat the severe dropout problem in high schools across the country. The first and signature initiative of the Kanye West Foundation is Loop Dreams. Designed to capitalize on students' existing interest in hip-hop, Loop Dreams challenges students to learn more about what's behind hip-hop culture in order to help them develop skills, express themselves creatively and be empowered."
Instead of flowers, Kanye West and his family request that donations be made in Dr. West's name to Kanye West Foundation/Loop Dreams Teacher Training Institute at 8560 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069. Donations may also be made at www.kanyewestfoundation.org.
Dr. West excelled in education. She was raised in Oklahoma City and graduated from Douglass High School in 1967.
She later earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Virginia Union University in 1971.
While officials expect to release the official autopsy report on Wednesday, tmz.com reports that weeks before Dr. West died, a plastic surgeon refused to perform a tummy tuck and breast reduction because of a medical condition that could have led to a heart attack.
It has also been revealed that Dr. West was at her home when paramedics responded to a 911 call on Saturday (November 10) and took her to Centinela Freeman Hospital in Marina del Rey, California.
Attempts to resuscitate Dr. West were unsuccessful and paramedics pronounced her dead around 8:30 PM that evening.
Dr. West, who headed up Chicago State University’s English Department, was also board President of the Kanye West Foundation and served as the rapper’s manager.