Donda West

Kanye West, Alexis Phifer Split

Mandi Illuzzi — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:00:46 -0400

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The rapper "just couldn't keep it going," a source tells Us

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Kanye West and his fiancee Alexis Phifer have split, a source tells Usmagazine.com.

A source close to the couple tells Us that "Kanye is possessed by the tour and everything going on and just couldn't keep it going. They are still friends and have broken up and gotten back together before, so it could work out."

A rep for West had no comment.

West, 30, proposed to Phifer in 2006 while vacationing in Italy.

Sources close to the Grammy-Award winning rapper previously told Us that he would tie the knot with Phifer to honor his late mother Donda’s wishes that they make their relationship official. (Phifer stood by West's side after Donda died following plastic surgery last year.)

“I’m just going to go and get married,” West told GQ last year. “I’m not going to make a big deal out of it.”

The couple — who were honored at Us' Hot Hollywood bash last year — had been dating since 2002, but split briefly in 2004 when West briefly hooked up with Brooke Crittendon, an assistant at MTV, a source told Us.

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Kanye West and Alexis Phifer attend the John Galliano fashion show during Paris Fashion Week Fall-Winter 2008-2009 on March 1, 2008 in Paris, France.

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Donda West's 911 Calls Released

Henry Seltzer — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:49:48 -0500

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"Donda West! Please wake up!" a woman is overheard crying during the 8-minute phone call

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Usmagazine.com has obtained the nearly 8-minute audio of an unidentified woman calling 911 for Kanye West's mother, Donda, who died November 10 after plastic surgery.

"She's having a heart attack," the caller says. "She's not breathing. She's not moving. I'm trying to do CPR. She just had surgery... She's on medication. She complained she couldn't breathe."

As the 911 operator asks questions to assess the situation, the caller continues, "We're trying to do CPR on her."

Someone is heard in the background saying "Donda West! Please wake up! Donda West! C'mon! C'mon!"

"I don't feel a pulse," the caller says.

Someone is heard yelling "Breathe!" as heavy breathing is heard.

"Get an ambulance here now!" the caller says.

At one point the operator expresses frustration that the situation is too chaotic: "Maim, let me tell you how to do this. You need to listen. You're not listening to what I'm telling you. You're not helping the person at all."

The operator then provides instructions for CPR and mouth-to-mouth.

"Air is not going in and out," the caller says. "Her chest is not rising."

TMZ.com has posted clips of the calls.

Dr. Jan Adams – who performed a breast reduction, tummy tuck, and liposuction on West, 58, the day before she died – has blamed her death on a heart attack, pulmonary embolism or accidental overdose of the painkiller Vicodin. "Nothing went wrong," he told the L.A. Times of the procedure.

Adams had two medical malpractice judgments against him for about $200,000 each, Usmagazine.com reported last month.

Results of the autopsy have not been finalized.

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Donda West and Kanye West attend the Donda West "Raising Kanye" book signing on June 6, 2007 in New York City.

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Kanye West Attends Mother's Funeral in Oklahoma City

Alissa R — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:14:36 -0500

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Beyonce and Jay-Z pay their respects to the late Donda West Tuesday

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Kanye West attended his mother's funeral at the True Vine Ministry church in Oklahoma City early Tuesday.

Beyonce and Jay-Z attended. John Legend and Anita Baker performed, Access Hollywood reports.

A white hearse, carrying the body of Donda West arrived, and her champagne-colored coffin was carried inside, according to Access. Flowers poured inside the church, which can accommodate up to 2,500 people.

The rapper broke down while talking about his mother, saying he wanted her to not "rest in peace, but rest in paradise," Entertainment Tonight reports.

After the service, two horse drawn carriages transported her body to the cemetery.

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Kanye West at the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, CA on September 16, 2007.

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VIDEO: Kanye West Dedicates Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" to His Mom

Mandi Illuzzi — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 08:44:17 -0500

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"She was my first fan that was screaming before anyone else," he said of Donda at a show in Brussels Sunday

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Kanye West gave an emotional tribute to his mother Donda at the Vorst Nationaal in Brussels Sunday.

"There's nothing that she loved more than to come to the show and scream louder than any fan," he told a cheering audience. "She was my first fan that was screaming before anyone else....

"If she was here, she would tell me, 'Get on that stage and kill it, dawg!'" he said. "That was her favorite word: 'dawg.'"

He also hinted that he will persevere through the hardship and continue touring.

"She would tell me, 'Take over the world and be No. 1 like I taught you to be,'" West said of his mom.

Then before a woman began performing the Journey ballad, "Don't Stop Believing," West said, "I wanna dedicate this to my mother because of the words, the lyrics ... It says what she would want me to do, and that's to not stop believing."

Watch the footage below.

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February 14, 2007

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Embattled Donda West Surgeon's Ring Tone: "Let's Get It On!"

Megan Lynn — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:15:27 -0500

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Dr. Jan Adams, under attack for the death of Kanye's mom (and for sexual misconduct), tells Us: "I feel fine"

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Donda West's plastic surgeon, Jan Adams, was in a San Pedro, California courtroom this afternoon for a hearing in a malpractice case unrelated to the death of West.

Wearing a black pinstripe suit, Adams, 55, was looking through papers before the hearing when his cell phone rang, playing the Marvin Gaye hit "Let's Get it On."

It was an interesting ring choice for the doctor, who was accused of sexual battery by a patient in 2005. In the ensuing legal actions, the patient claimed that Adams made inappropriate house calls, got her drunk, and had intercourse with her. When she terminated the resulting pregnancy, she alleged that he got angry and cut her chin with a knife.

Adams performed a tummy tuck and a breast reduction on Kanye West's mother Donda West on November 9. The 58-year-old died from complications from the surgeries the next day.

In addition to the sexual battery suit and prior malpractice cases, Adams has two DUIs on record, which prompted the Medical Board of California last April to ask for his medical license to be revoked or suspended.

Despite all the attention on him since Donda West's death, Adams told Us at the courthouse, "I feel fine." When asked if he regretted West's death, or wished to express his sympathies to her family, he replied, "No comment."

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June 12, 2006

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Funeral Set for Kanye West's Mom

Megan Lynn — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:51:35 -0500

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Donda West will be laid to rest Tuesday

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The family of rapper Kanye West's mother Donda has now made plans to hold a funeral next Tuesday in her native Oklahoma City.

KOCO Channel 5 in Oklahoma City reports that a funeral for West will be held at the city's Howard-Harris Funeral Home.

West died of complications from tummy-tuck and breast reduction procedures on November 10 in Los Angeles at the age of 58.

Results from an autopsy conducted by the Los Angeles County coroner's office on Tuesday will not be available for another 6 to 8 weeks, pending further tests. West's surgeon, Dr. Jan Adams, has been called into question since the tragedy, as Adams has had two medical malpractice judgments against him, according to records obtained by Us.

Sources tell Us that Kanye West was in London rehearsing for a tour at the time of his mother's death, and has stayed there in the hopes of grieving privately.

Access Hollywood reports that Chicago State University, where West taught English for 30 years, will also hold a private memorial service on Friday.

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Surgeon Who Operated on Kanye West's Mom Had Two Malpractice Suits

Mark Cina — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:14:23 -0500

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Another doc said he did not operate on Donda because of a pre-existing condition that could have caused a heart attack

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The Beverly Hills surgeon who performed a breast reduction and tummy tuck on Kanye West's mother Donda before she died has had two medical malpractice judgments against him for about $200,000 each, according to California Medical Board records obtained by Usmagazine.com.

Jan Adams confirmed to TMZ.com on Monday that he performed the operations on Donda — who passed away Saturday at age 58 following complications from surgery — after consulting with her for four months.

The operation lasted eight hours, twice as long as expected, according to TMZ. But Adams said her death was unforeseen and could have been caused by other medical problems.

But in June, Us reports in its upcoming issue, West had met several times with Beverly Hills surgeon Andre Aboolian.

His rep told the Associated Press that Aboolian had declined to operate on West because of a pre-existing condition that could have caused a heart attack during surgery.

He advised West to get a clearance from a second internist.

His publicist, Jo-Ann Geffen, told the AP Aboolian never heard back from the rapper's manager mom.

An autopsy was conducted Tuesday and the results are still pending, Lieutenant Fred Corral from the Los Angeles County Department of the Coroner told Usmagazine.com.

UPDATE: The Medical Board of California filed legal papers last April asking to revoke or suspend Adams' medical license because of two DUI convictions in 2006 and 2003, TMZ.com reports.

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Kanye and Donda West at The 47th Annual GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles, CA. on February 13, 2005.

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Donda West

Kanye West, Alexis Phifer Split

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