Rihanna’s Father, Ronald Fenty, Dies at 70 After Brief Illness

Los Angeles, CA – Ronald Fenty, the father of pop superstar Rihanna, reportedly passed away at the age of 70 early Saturday morning. The news was first reported by Starcom Network News, a radio station in Rihanna’s native Barbados.

Ronald Fenty died following a brief illness, although an official cause of death has yet to be revealed. Sources have confirmed that family members gathered to commemorate his life in California.

Photos obtained show Rihanna’s brother, Rajad Fenty, visiting Ronald at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Rihanna was believed to be in the vehicle but was not visible in the images. As of this writing, Rihanna has not publicly commented on her father’s passing.

The news comes shortly after Rihanna announced her pregnancy, expecting her third child with longtime partner A$AP Rocky. The couple has two other sons together, RZA and Riot.

Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, has had a tumultuous relationship with her father over the years, largely due to his struggles with addiction. Following their divorce when Rihanna was 14, Ronald’s issues reportedly led to conflicts between them.

In a 2011 interview with Vogue, Rihanna described their relationship as “really strange.” She expressed her feelings about her father’s actions, which sometimes left her bewildered, saying, “You are a part of him for goodness sakes!”

Despite their struggles, Rihanna stated that they had repaired their relationship in a 2012 interview with Oprah Winfrey, where she acknowledged the complexity of her father’s role in her life. “He taught me everything, and as awful as he was to my mom, at times, it didn’t compare to how great he was as a father,” she said.

However, in recent years, their relationship seemed to strain again, with Rihanna filing a lawsuit against Ronald in 2019 for allegedly exploiting her name for financial gain. The lawsuit was dismissed shortly before going to trial in 2021.

Ronald had expressed joy over being a grandfather, stating that Rihanna was an overprotective mother. He fondly remembered times spent on their home island of Barbados with his granddaughter.

This story is still developing.