Rihanna's dad Ronald Fenty's cause of death revealed after his sudden death aged 70

Scottish Sun

26-06-2025

The singer was reportedly by his side at hospital when he died
TRAGIC LOSS Rihanna's dad Ronald Fenty's cause of death revealed after his sudden death aged 70
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
RIHANNA'S dad Ronald Fenty died from a series of devastating health complications, it has been revealed.
The 70-year-old passed away on May 30 after a 'brief illness'.
Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter
Sign up
6
Ronald passed away aged 70 after a brief illness
Credit: Coleman-Rayner
6
His cause of death has now been revealed
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
6
An insider revealed how Rihanna's been going through an emotional roller-coaster
Credit: Getty
But a death certificate obtained by TMZ now says the official cause was a combination of acute respiratory failure, pancreatic cancer and aspiration pneumonia.
Additional contributing causes included acute renal failure and acute tubular necrosis, indicating severe kidney damage.
Ronald died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and news of his passing has left the pop superstar — currently pregnant with her third child — heartbroken.
An insider told the Daily Mail: 'Robyn has had a very difficult relationship with her father over the years but his death has hit her like a ton of bricks.
Read more on Rihanna
loyal guy Rihanna's boyfriend A$AP Rocky rushes to be with pregnant star after dad's death
'Being pregnant and dealing with ASAP's legal woes have been an emotional roller coaster for her the last few months, and to add to it all, her dad was getting sick, and it started to become too much.
'As much as you realize that something like this is occurring, it is still completely heartbreaking and that is where she is right now.'
Despite years of ups and downs, the source said the dad and daughter found peace in Ronald's final days.
'She has forgiven her father and, in death, they got back to a loving father and daughter relationship,' they added.
Rihanna was reportedly by her dad's side at the hospital when he died.
Her partner A$AP Rocky also rushed to be by her side after her father's passing.
Rihanna reveals she's pregnant and expecting third child with partner A$AP Rocky at Met Gala
Rihanna and Ronald's relationship was complex and often turbulent.
In 2009, she revealed the two hadn't spoken in over a year after he 'embarrassed' her while on tour.
She said at the time: 'He disrespected some people on the bus and I didn't like that, so I kind of just let him go back home.'
The pop icon also expressed disappointment after her dad gave media interviews in the wake of her assault by then-boyfriend Chris Brown.
'He kind of did something that was really upsetting. He turned his back on me and went to the media,' she said.
In 2019, the singer sued her father for using the Fenty name to promote his company.
But she dropped the lawsuit two years later, reportedly reaching a settlement.
Ronald, who battled addiction for years, was once kicked off Rihanna's tour bus in 2008 for drunken behaviour, and later booted from her Diamond Ball in 2014 after falling over drunk on the red carpet.
Despite these struggles, Rihanna supported him through a $58,000 rehab program in Malibu and even bought him a house in Barbados.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ronald revealed that Rihanna checked in on him daily and even sent him a ventilator after he tested positive for the virus.
'I thought I was going to die to be honest. I have to say, I love you so much, Robyn,' he told The Sun in 2020.
By 2022, the two were on better terms.
Ronald told Page Six he was 'ecstatic' to learn his daughter was expecting her first child with A$AP Rocky.
'I'm so happy that I jumped for joy. I'm still so excited,' he said.
'She's going to be a good mom.'
Ronald shared Rihanna, along with sons Rajad and Rorrey, with his ex-wife Monica Braithwaite.
He also had three other children — Kandy, Samantha, and Jamie — from previous relationships.
6
The singer previously paid for her dad's rehab stint
Credit: Instagram
6
Ronald, Rihanna and Rajad Fenty arrive at the Grammys in 2012
Credit: Getty