The father of US rapper Nicki Minaj died after being struck by a hit-and-run driver near New York City, as per police reports.

Robert Maraj, 64, was walking on a road in Mineola, Long Island at 6:15 pm (2315 GMT) on Friday when he was hit, Nassau County Police Department said in a statement.

Nicki Minaj

The investigation is ongoing: Police

The driver left the scene of the accident, and Maraj was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Saturday. "The investigation is ongoing," police added. Minaj, 38, was born in Trinidad and Tobago and raised in the Queens borough of New York City.