Kanye West's mother dies in L.A. after surgery

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rap star Kanye West's mother, Donda West, died in a Los Angeles-area hospital due to possible complications from surgery, a spokesperson with the L.A. County Coroner's office said on Monday. She was 58.

West helped manage her son's businesses and educational foundation after retiring in 2004 after 30 years as an English professor at Chicago State University. She died Saturday night at Centinela Freeman Hospital in seaside Marina del Rey.

Donda West's spokesperson, Patricia Green, declined to comment on the cause of death, but reports on various media, including the British Broadcasting Corporation, said she died because of complications related to a cosmetic procedure. Green confirmed she sent an email to the BBC, but declined to comment on its content.

The L.A. County Coroner's office said it would perform an autopsy on West later this week to determine the cause of death. The spokesman did not know what surgery West had.

West worked as chief executive of West Brands LLC, the parent company of her son's business ventures, and as head of the Kanye West Foundation, which aims to keep inner-city youth in school and improve literacy.

"She was a universal model," Green said about West. "She made people want to be around her." Mother and son spoke frequently about their close relationship.

West was the inspiration behind "Hey Mama," a song on Kanye West's 2005 album "Late Registration," which included the words: "Hey Mama, I wanna scream so loud for you, cuz I', so proud of you...I appreciate what you allowed for me. I just want you to be proud of me."

In May, West published a book that paid homage to her singer-son, entitled "Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar."

A spokesperson for Kanye West was not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Dana Ford; Editing by David Storey)