Kanye's Family Releases a Statement on Mother's Death

Kanye West is hoping that some good can come of his mother's untimely passing.
In a statement released Monday night by West's rep, the 30-year-old rapper's family asks that fans donate to the foundation he and mom Donda started together.

"Kanye West, his family and friends would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of support and kind words that have come in from across the country since the death of his mother, Dr. Donda West.

After working in higher education for 31 years, Dr. Donda West and Kanye West co-founded the Kanye West Foundation with the mission of helping to combat the severe dropout problem in high schools across the country. The first and signature initiative of the Kanye West Foundation is Loop Dreams. Designed to capitalize on students existing interest in hip-hop, Loop Dreams challenges students to learn more about what’s behind hip-hop culture in order to help them develop skills, express themselves creatively and be empowered.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Dr. West's name to the Kanye West Foundation/Loop Dreams Teacher Training Institute."

Preliminary information suggests that Donda West, 58, died on November 10 in Los Angeles due to complications from plastic surgery. An autopsy will be performed this week to determine precisely what happened.

For now, the family says, "Details of funeral services are still pending."