Wiz Khalifa has revealed that his father, Laurence W. Thomaz, has died.
The rapper announced the news on X in a short but emotional post.
“Today my father decided not to wake up,” he 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.”
The rapper then hoped on his Instagram Stories to share photos with his father from his childhood. “Love you big guy,” he captioned them.
Wiz had a close relationship with his father, who previously spoke about how fatherhood changed the rapper for the better.
“[His son] Sebastian’s matured him, but it’s made him more serious and understand: ‘I have to be here; I can’t do the dangerous, reckless things I was doing before: I have this little guy to look out for,’” Thomaz said in a 2019 documentary.
Wiz has previously spoken about his love and respect for his father. In 2012, the rapper shared with AllHipHop that he credits his father with enabling him to grow as an individual.