Source: Robert Kamau / Getty
Robert Maraj, the father of Hip-Hop star
Nicki Minaj has died after being involved in a hit-and-run incident in Long Island, N.Y. As the news went wide, fans on Twitter, along with some of Minaj’s contemporaries, showed their support for the rapper and her family.
According to accounts by police by way of a report from local news outlet
News 12 Long Island, Robert Maraj, 64, was struck while walking in the village of Mineola in the New York borough on Friday. Mr. Maraj was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, later dying from his injuries on Saturday (Feb. 13).
The Nassau County Police Department has announced that it is investigating the matter as a homicide. A representative for Minaj confirmed the news of the passing but little else has been revealed by way of the family.
While the relationship between Minaj, real name Onika Maraj Petty, and her father was reportedly not a close one, she did confirm in a 2015 interview that her father was verbally abusive towards members of their household, in particular her mother, Carol Maraj.
During the recording of her
Queen documentary first announced in 2018,
Minaj shared details of her father’s actions and how protective she was over her mother, stating that she would physically come between them whenever he went on one of his tirades. The six-part docuseries will be making its debut on the HBO Max platform in the near future.
Across Twitter, fans, and compatriots alike have offered up their kindest thoughts. We’ve got those reactions below.
Hip-Hop Wired extends its condolences to the Maraj family during this difficult period.
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Photo: Getty
