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Friday, 11 January 2008

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Donda West died of heart disease after surgery

Coroners report released

Donda West, the mother of rapper Kanye West, died of heart disease while suffering "multiple post-operative factors" after plastic surgery, the L.A. coroner said Thursday.

But an autopsy failed to determine the exact role these factors played in her death following liposuction and breast-reduction surgery, officials said.

West, 58, died on Nov. 10 at Centinela Freeman hospital after friends and family made a frantic 911 call for help from her home in Playa Del Ray.

"The final manner of death could not be determined," the coroner said in a statement. "Multiple post-operative factors could have played a role in the death. The exact contribution of each factor could not be determined. There was no evidence of a surgical or anesthetic misadventure."

Just a day before her death, West had undergone cosmetic surgery with Dr. Jan Adams, who has faced tremendous scrutiny since West died. At the time her death, a family spokesperson said West had passed away "as the result of complications from a cosmetic surgical procedure."

According to the autopsy report, West was able to walk out of the clinic after 5 1/2 hours of surgery, heavily bandaged, and prescribed Vicodin for pain.

"She opted to return to her home for care even though she was advised that she receive post-operative care at another facility," the report says.

At home, she received the care of an "experienced nurse" and two caregivers, though there was no documentation of her temperature readings or other records of her recovery. That night, she took Vicodin for pain, slept and felt better in the morning.

As the day went on, she experienced a sore throat, pain and tightening in her chest, before collapsing in the early evening. A friend at the house called 911 and West was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead in the emergency room.

"What came out of the autopsy released today was exactly what I thought was going to be reported," Adams told Extra. "Out of respect for Kanye West's family, I want to honor the doctor patient confidentiality agreement."

West had been on the faculty of the English Department of Chicago State University for over two decades before retiring from academia to manage her son's career. She recently published Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Star. Her only son, in turn, dedicated his song "Hey Mama" to her.

By Alondra Hernandez