Wiz Khalifa is mourning the loss of his father.
On Friday (Feb. 13), the 38-year-old rapper took to social media to share an emotional tribute following the death of his dad, Laurence W. Thomaz. He was 63, according to TMZ.
“Today my father decided not to wake up,” Wiz wrote on X. “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.”
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The “Black and Yellow” artist continued, “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.”
Khalifa, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, also shared several throwback photos on his Instagram Story. One childhood snapshot showed his father helping him on a swing, captioned, “Love you big guy.” Another image featured a young Wiz with his dad and what appears to be his sibling, Dorien “Lala” Thomaz, who died in 2017. “My boy was smooth,” Wiz wrote alongside the photo, referring to his father. Another caption on the photo read, “You and La La are together again,” along with a praying hands emoji.
Wiz was reportedly close to his dad, who was a former member of the military. The rapper previously told NME that Thomaz opened a recording studio in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when he was a kid, which helped lay the foundation for his future.
“I lived in that studio. And that’s what turned me into who I am today,” the rapper told the publication in 2016.
Khalifa wrote on X that his last conversation with his 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.”
The hip-hop star’s most notable acting role was co-starring with Snoop Dogg in the 2012 stoner comedy Mac & Devin Go to High School, where Wiz played the character Devin Overstreet. The movie’s soundtrack featured “Young, Wild & Free,” with Bruno Mars, which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Wiz also thanked those who shared their condolences for his father’s passing. “It really means a lot in this tough time and is helping me feel better,” he wrote.
