June 1, 2025
Rihanna had bouts of estrangement from her father before reconciling in recent years.
Rihanna’s father, Ronald Fenty, has died at age 70 in Los Angeles.
TMZ confirmed the news May 31, with sources sharing that he died from an undisclosed illness. The tabloid also released photos of Rihanna’s brother, Rajad Fenty, leaving Cedars-Sinai Medical Center days before the news broke. Rihanna was also allegedly in the vehicle, yet no photographs were released of her visiting.
Fenty shared three children with his ex, Monica Braithwaite, with Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty being the only girl. However, the couple split up in 2002 when Rihanna was 14-years-old. Furthermore, Rihanna had a estranged relationship with her father as she rose in her music career.
The Fenty Beauty founder went on to become a global superstar in R&B and pop music. Although the late Fenty and his daughter had a tumultuous relationship throughout her life, the duo made amends in recent years.
The doting grandfather previously expressed his excitement on his daughter’s growing family with A$AP Rocky. Rihanna now has two children, sons Riot and Rza, with the Harlem rapper, and another one on the way.
“I’m so happy that I jumped for joy. I’m still so excited,” he told Page Six in 2022. “Rihanna always said that she wanted children, she loves kids. She always takes care of her cousins’ kids… she’s going to be a good mom.”
Rihanna has also taken immense pride in her surname, using it for her beauty and fashion empire. Her two mainstay brands, Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty, hold the title. However, the name had been a previous point of contention between Rihanna and her father. She sued her parent back in 2019 over the use of their family name for fraudulent business dealings. The singer, however, later dropped the case.
Now, the Fenty family is grieving the loss of their patriarch. Rihanna has yet to make a public statement on her father’s death.
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