Rihanna secretly helps gay fan come out to his friends

The singer has been messaging a fan on Twitter to offer her support

Fans heaped praise on the singer’s body and argued the comments were a 'joke', 'cruel', and 'offensive' (Getty Images)

Rihanna has long been known for maintaining a close relationship with her loyal fanbase and was most recently spotted holding out a mic mid-concert so one could sing with her.

But the relationship she also cultivates with fans away from the spotlight has only just become apparent after it emerged Rihanna helped a man come out in a series of private messages over Twitter.

The "Work" singer responded to the fan who messaged her in March about his fears of coming out to his friends as a gay black man.

They began an exchange that culminated with the unidentified man taking his first steps in coming out.

In one of her responses, she wrote: “Baby it’s ok to be scared, but it’s more important to be who you are! You don’t have a choice really! That’s not a decision to be made! You are who you are, and as hard as it may seem, the best s**t ever is freedom and peace within yourself! Your family may not understand, but luckily you live in a generation that does!! And not to mention the community here amongst us, we will hold you down boo!!”

“I finally came out to my second close friend over here,” he later replied. “I’m feeling so good Rih, thanks to you."

Their exchange even inspired another fan to come out to her family.

According to Buzzfeed, the man is now hoping to come out to all of his friends before meeting Rihanna at her Anti tour in July.