Nicki Minaj’s father killed by hit-and-run driver On Kindly Share This Story: The 64-year-old father of rapper Nicki Minaj has died after being struck by a hit-and-run motorist in New York, police said. Robert Maraj was crossing the street in the village of Mineola on Long Island on Friday at 6:15 p.m. when he was hit by an “undescribed” vehicle that left the scene, according to a statement from the Nassau County Police Department. Maraj, who lived in Mineola, was transported to a local hospital in critical condition on Friday night. He succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead by a hospital physician on Saturday, police said.