Nicki Minaj’s father killed by hit-and-run driver, police say

Robert Maraj was 64 when he died after being struck by a vehicle on Friday (12 February)

The father of Nicki Minaj has been struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in New York’s Long Island.

Police have said that Robert Maraj, 64, was walking beside a road on Friday evening when he was hit by the car, which then fled the scene.

He was then taken to hospital in critical condition, where he succumbed to his injuries on Saturday (13 February).

New York’s Nassau County police department have asked for any witnesses of the crash to come forward. The case is being investigated by the Homicide squad.

The news was confirmed to several media outlets by Minaj’s representative.

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The rapper, whose real name is Onika Tanya Maraj, was born in Trinidad, and was raised in the New York borough of Queens.

Minaj is yet to make a public statement following the news of his death.

Maraj’s death comes just months after Minaj gave birth to her first child, with her husband Kenneth Petty.

The artist announced the news in a viral Instagram post last October.