In an ill-fated development, the father of rapper Nicki Minaj has died after being struck by a hit-and-run motorist in New York, police said.
According to a statement from the Nassau County Police Department, Robert Maraj, 64, was crossing the street in the village of Mineola on Long Island when he was hit by an “undescribed” vehicle that left the scene.
Reports said Maraj, who lived in Mineola, was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.
The police said he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead by a hospital physician.
In view of the development, the Nassau County Police Department’s Homicide Squad is investigating the fatal incident. Detectives are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
The rapper, 38, whose real name is Onika Tanya Maraj, was born on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. Minaj’s parents moved to the United States before she joined them there a couple years later at the age of 5. She was raised in the New York City borough of Queens.
