The father of rapper Nicki Minaj has died after being struck by a hit-and-run driver near New York City, police said on Sunday. Robert Maraj, 64, was walking on a road in Mineola, Long Island at 6.15pm local time on Friday when he was hit, Nassau County Police Department said. 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 said. The statement did not specify Maraj's relationship to Minaj, but a police spokesman confirmed he was the <em>Super Bass</em> singer's father. Minaj, 38, was born in Trinidad and Tobago and raised in the Queens borough of New York City. The rapper has been nominated for 10 Grammy awards during her career.