Rapper Nicki Minaj's father killed in hit-and-run

Nicki Minaj with her father Robert Maraj.

The father of chart-topping rapper Nicki Minaj has died after he was hit by a car, with police treating the incident as a hit-and-run.

Robert Maraj was hit by a car while walking in New York's Long Island, with police in Nassau County saying that he was walking on the road on Friday evening when he was hit by the vehicle, TMZ reported.

Police said the driver fled the scene and witnesses were not able to get a good description of them.

Maraj was rushed to hospital in a critical condition but died of his injuries over the weekend.

via Facebook uma tia de Nicki Minaj publicou que Robert Maraj (Pai de Nicki ) veio a Falecer , as informações ainda não foram confirmadas ! esperamos que Deus posso conforta o coração da Nicki e sua Família nesse momento 🖤💔 pic.twitter.com/UMA1iNproj

— Rick Maraj (@HomoMrs) February 14, 2021

Minaj has yet to release a public statement on the tragedy.

Nicki Minaj was born Onika Tanya Maraj in Trinidad and was raised in the New York borough of Queens.

She has been at the top of the rap industry for a decade, since hitting number one on Billboard with her debut album Pink Friday in 2010.

She has sold around 100 million records worldwide and been one of the most influential rappers of all time.

Her father's tragic death isn't the first time her family have hit the headlines.

In 2015 her brother Jelani Maraj was arrested for the sexual assault of an eleven-year-old girl.

He was found guilty in 2017 and last year was sentenced to 25 years to life.

Prior to his arrest, Nicki Minaj had publicly supported her brother, taking to Instagram to share a photo of the pair and writing: "Jelani, I love u more than you'll ever comprehend."

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