Nov 12, 2007 5:34 pm US/Eastern
Kanye West's Mother Dies
Donda West May Have Died Of 'Complications Of Surgery'
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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Kanye West, left, smiles with his mother, Donda, during her book signing in Los Angeles earlier this year. (File)
Vince Bucci/Getty Images
An official with the coroner's office told The Associated Press that Donda West, mother of rapper Kanye West, may have died of complications related to a surgical procedure at a hospital.
Preliminary information indicated she died from "complications of surgery," Lt. Fred Corral told The Associated Press. An autopsy was expected to be conducted by Wednesday, Corral said.
West had approached a plastic surgeon months ago about a procedure, but he declined to perform it because of a pre-existing medical condition and he never heard back from her, the surgeon's publicist said Monday.
West died Saturday night at age 58 at Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center in Marina Del Rey after she stopped breathing at her home, according to Deborah Ettinger, a hospital vice president. She was taken to the hospital by paramedics.
"We tried to resuscitate her, but were unsuccessful," Ettinger said.
West did not have surgery at the hospital, said Ettinger. It was not immediately clear where she had the surgery, or what the procedure was for. The Kanye West Foundation referred calls to a publicist who did not immediately respond to messages for comment.
Patricia Green, a consultant who has worked as a publicist for West in the past, had previously told news agencies that West died after cosmetic surgery. She backed away from those comments in later interviews with the AP, saying she was not sure of the cause because she had received conflicting information.
West met with Dr. Andre Aboolian of Beverly Hills to inquire about cosmetic surgery in June, said the surgeon's publicist, Jo-Ann Geffen. Aboolian told West two weeks ago that she needed to get a medical clearance before he would agree to do the surgery, but never heard back from her, Geffen said.
Aboolian was concerned about a condition West had that could have posed a problem after surgery, said Geffen, declining to elaborate because of patient privacy rights.
"He simply said that in order for him to be comfortable, he felt it necessary to have a medical clearance before he'd touch her," Geffen said.
Geffen said she didn't know if West had cosmetic surgery elsewhere.
"He feels terrible because he said she was such a sweet lady," Geffen said.
West was known for the strong bond she shared with her hip-hop star son. She was often seen by his side at parties and award shows. Kanye West often spoke of his close relationship with his mother, who raised him alone after her husband left when Kanye was 3.
The former chairwoman of Chicago State University's English department, Donda West served as chief executive of West Brands LLC, the parent company of her son's business enterprises. She also was chairwoman of the Kanye West Foundation, an educational nonprofit that works to decrease dropout rates and improve literacy.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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