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Kanye West's Mother Dies From Surgical Complications

Dr. Donda West, Kanye's mother and the former English department chairwoman at Chicago State University, died in a Los Angeles area hospital on Saturday night, soon after she had stopped breathing in her home. According to The Associated Press, Dr. West may have died of complications from a cosmetic surgery performed in a Southern California hospital. She was 58. A full autopsy is expected on Wednesday. Kanye West often spoke highly of his mother, going so far as to devote the 2005 song "Hey Mama" to her, saying, "Hey mama/ I wanna scream so loud for you/ Cuz I'm so proud of you/ I appreciate what you allowed for me/ I just want you to be proud of me." His mother returned the shout-out by releasing the book Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Star this past May.

West's spokesman has told the BBC that her "family respectfully asks for privacy during this time of grief." Whether this will impact Kanye's New Year's Eve show in Las Vegas or his upcoming European tour dates remains to be seen.

They include:

11/17 Paris, France - Zenith
11/18 Brussels, Belgium - Forest National
11/19 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Heineken Music Hall
11/22 London, England - O2 Arena
11/24 Brighton, England - Brighton Centre
11/25 Bournemouth, England - Bournemouth International Conference Center
11/26 Nottingham, England - Nottingham
11/27 Cardiff, Wales - Cardiff International Arena
11/28 Plymouth, England - Plymouth Pavilions
11/30 Dublin, Ireland - Phoenix Park
12/1 Belfast, Northern Ireland - Odyssey Arena
12/2 Manchester, England - M.E.N. Arena
12/4 Glasgow, Scotland - SECC

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
11.12.07