Nicki Minaj has been left devastated by the death of her relative Nicholas Telemaque, who was killed in Brooklyn, New York City, on Sunday.
Nicholas Telemaque had just left C-PAC nightclub just up the street from his home when he was shot multiple times in his torso at E. 52nd St. and Farragut Road in East Flatbush about 2:40 a.m., police and a relative said.
“It’s disgusting,” said cousin Roger Clarke, 41. “Young kids, they don’t value someone’s life.”
Telemaque, who has prior arrests for possession of marijuana and driving on a suspended license, died soon after he was taken to Kings County Hospital.
The ‘Check It Out‘ rapper who is currently supporting Britney Spears on a American tour took to the social networking site Twitter yesterday to tell her followers about her tragic loss Alongside a picture of Nicholas, Nicki tweeted: “Lived in Brooklyn his whole life. My precious cousin. My baby. Killed last nite.
The Hip-Hop star later added another picture, which was accompanied by the words: “My cousin Nicholas. Also goes by Juse. Murdered. Last nite. Near his home. Brooklyn, NY.
Family has always been important to Nicki and she recently revealed she is motivated by making a better life for her mother. The 26-year-old rapper moved from Trinidad to the US at the age of five and admitted living in a three-bedroom home with 15 other people and seen her father fall victim to drugs and alcohol.
She said: “In Trinidad we didn’t have much. Then my parents moved to the States and then they sent for me, and I thought everything was going to be great.
“But my father fell victim to drug and alcohol abuse, so it was an uphill battle for a very, very long time. He was really, really addicted. My mother had to make ends meet the best way she knew how.
“Really, when I talk about my life in records like ‘I’m The Best’ I’m just saying, ‘Hey, after all of this, here’s what I’ve accomplished.’ “What motivated me was that I wanted to get my mother out of her situation, so I always wanted to kick ass at whatever I did.”
Our thoughts and condolences go to Nicki and her family.
