Rapper Wiz Khalifa announced Friday that his father, Laurence W. Thomaz, has died at age 63, according to TMZ.
The 38-year-old artist, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, shared the news on X, formerly known as Twitter, describing his father’s passing as peaceful.
“Today my father decided not to wake up,” Khalifa wrote. “I will always love him, miss him and be grateful for the things he taught me. He went out like a true yogi, at peace and on his own time. I love you forever Laurence W. Thomaz.”
In subsequent posts, the rapper reflected on the outpouring of support following the announcement.
“My father’s passing was sudden but seeing how many people love and respected him makes happy and I know he’s proud that he left a positive impact on this earth. Literally all he ever wanted,” he wrote.
Khalifa revealed that their final conversation centered on his acting work.
“The last conversation I had with my dad was him telling me how proud of me he was for the movie I was in and I promised him I would do more. LT Forever,” he said.
The rapper shared throwback photos with his father on Instagram, including an image of his father pushing him on a swing captioned “Love you big guy.” Another photo showed Khalifa as a child with his father and late sibling, Dorien “Lala” Thomaz, who died in 2017, according to Page Six. “You and La La are together again,” he wrote.
Khalifa credited his father with shaping his music career. In a 2016 NME interview, he explained that his father opened a recording studio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“I was in second grade when I first started rapping,” Khalifa said. “I lived in that studio. And that’s what turned me into who I am today.”
The artist thanked his followers for their messages of support.
“It really means a lot in this tough time and is helping me feel better,” he wrote on X.
