Minnie Dlamini: 'The news could’ve easily been me'

The sudden death of rapper Riky Rick has left many South Africans in shock, and some, including Minnie Dlamini, have spoken out about their own struggles. 

While the rapper's family is yet to confirm the cause of death, several reports suggest his passing is related to his long battle with depression. 

Riky opened up about his "chronic depression" in 2020 on the LAB LIVE podcast. 

"I have suffered from depression, chronic depression, you know. I've suffered from a lot of mental anxieties that I don't like to share too much because it is something I want to deal with internally."

The 'Boss Zonke' hitmaker also revealed that he went down a "destructive path" after losing his father.

“I lost my father at a time when I needed the help. I lost him at a time when I needed that voice, bro. A lot of people don’t understand that you cannot ever replace the voice of a father ... A child is not meant to live without his parents... When he passed away I was so angry, so upset..." the 34-year-old said on the podcast. 

ALSO READ: Listen: Rapper Riky Rick's rise to stardom

Minnie says that she was broken after hearing about Riky's death. She recently announced she was separating from her husband Quinton Jones after more than four years of marriage. The TV presenter was forced to turn off her comments on Instagram after receiving a flood of negative remarks. 

"I hope Minnie Dlamini makes another reality show named 'Unbecoming Mrs Jones', phela these celebs like to leave us in the Dark," one Twitter user wrote. 

Another user added: "Minnie Dlamini is proof that girls just want a wedding, so stop annoying them with marriage."

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Minnie has had a rough few years. Her brother, Khosini Dlamini, died in 2019 after spending 23 days on life support. He suffered a ruptured brain aneurism. Minnie has revealed in past social media posts that she struggled to cope with his passing. 

She also addressed her struggles in her divorce announcement. 

"In the last 2 years, our family has experienced incredible joy and devastating loss. During this time, we found comfort in knowing we had each other. Despite our better efforts to absorb the changes in motion, the emotional burden and the post-traumatic distress of our individual loss outweighed our will," the read the statement.

Shortly after Riky Rick's passing, Minnie tweeted: "I won’t tell a word of a lie I am broken!!! Today’s news could’ve easily been me."

Riky Rick leaves behind his wife Bianca Naidoo, and their two children, Jordan and Maik Daniel Makhado. Riky has shared several sweet moments with his family online. 

Riky Rick's family has asked for privacy during this difficult time. The family say they will share funeral and memorial details at a later stage. 

Main image credit: Instagram (@minniedlamini, @rikyrickworld)