Kanye West and his wife, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, made an early morning visit today to a London tattoo parlor, where Kanye sat down for two new tattoos on his left and right wrists representing the birth dates of his daughter, North, and his late mother, Donda. The tattoo session took place at 4 a.m. on February 27, after Kanye performed at the BRIT awards and gave an “emotional interview” with BBC Radio in which he remembered his late fashion mentor, Louise Wilson, who died in May of last year after a battle with breast cancer.
Being that Kanye has never been known to hold back his feelings, especially concerning his family (and Beyoncé), these new tattoos aren’t a huge surprise…except for where he originally wanted to get them! Kanye reportedly walked into the tattoo parlor planning to get a tattoo on his face, but Kim begged him to reconsider. Reconsider he did, and he now has two fresh wrist tattoos to remember two of the most important people in his life. Kanye West’s birthdays tattoos are inked in Roman Numerals, and are meant to celebrate the life of his daughter and commemorate the death of his mother.
Kanye and his mother had a very close relationship prior to her death in 2007. According to reports, Kanye’s father walked out on him and his mother when he was just three years old, leaving Donda to raise Kanye on her own. Before her unexpected death, she was often seen standing by his side at award shows and after-parties, and she even served as chief executive of West Brands, LLC and chairwoman of the Kanye West Foundation.
Unfortunately, in 2007, Kanye’s mother died of heart disease after “multiple post-operative factors,” following liposuction and breast reduction surgery. After the 5 ½ hour surgery, Donda made the decision to recover at home, where she was under the care of a nurse and family members. Later the next day she started to experience chest pain and tightening before she collapsed and died on the way to the hospital emergency room.
According to Kanye, he believes his mother sent Kim and North as angels to watch over him, and he now has some new ink that permanently bonds the women for life. In addition to these two new tattoos, Kanye also penned the songs “Hey Mama” for his mother and “Only One” with Sir Paul McCartney, which is a tribute to both Donda and North.
