Rap legend Snoop Dogg has broken his silence following the tragic death of his 11-month-old granddaughter, Codi Dreaux. The 54-year-old music icon addressed the heartbreaking loss after his daughter, Cori Broadus, announced that her baby girl passed away on Monday following a prolonged battle in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Family Photo Shared in Tribute
Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, posted a poignant family photograph on Saturday evening, just hours after Cori shared the devastating news online. The image featured the rapper alongside his three adult children – Cori, 26, Corde, 31, and Cordell, 28 – all of whom he shares with his wife Shante. The media personality also has another son, Julian, 27, from a previous relationship with Laurie Helmond.
In the emotional photograph, Corde and Cordell stood on either side of their father wearing matching white tank tops, while Snoop Dogg himself donned a flannel shirt. The three men surrounded Cori, who stood at the front wearing a grey cardigan and offering a faint smile. While Corde grinned in the picture, both Snoop Dogg and Cordell maintained stoic expressions. The rapper captioned the post simply with emojis of a pink heart and praying hands.
Outpouring of Support from Fans
The comment section beneath Snoop Dogg's post quickly filled with messages of condolence and support from devoted fans and followers. 'Sending my love to you all,' one heartfelt comment read, while another stated, 'Sending prayers and love, I am so sorry.' A third admirer chimed in with, 'This is a beautiful picture. My UTMOST condolences,' as thousands of others offered their prayers and sympathy during this difficult time.
Cori's Heartbreaking Announcement
Cori Broadus first broke the tragic news of her daughter's passing through social media on Saturday. She shared a black-and-white photograph of herself holding Codi, accompanied by the caption: 'Monday, I lost the love of my life. My Codi.' The grieving mother then reshared her Instagram update from earlier in the month, in which she had joyfully announced Codi's homecoming from hospital, adding the poignant comment: '20 days later?! dawg im sick.'
Codi Dreaux was born three months prematurely in late February 2025, marking the first child for Cori and her fiancé, photographer Wayne Duece. The baby spent several months in the NICU before being discharged at the beginning of the new year. On January 6, Cori had ecstatically announced on Instagram: 'She's home,' while thanking fans for their prayers and noting that 'God heard them all.'
Father's Emotional Tribute
Wayne Duece also posted to his Instagram Stories on Saturday, sharing a heartrending image of himself lovingly cradling his baby girl as she gazed up at him. 'I been the saddest since u left me Codi Dreaux. But I know u at peace. Daddy will always love you,' he wrote, adding the hashtag: '#LongLiveCodiDreaux.'
Medical Challenges and Resilience
The preterm birth resulted from a preeclampsia variant known as HELLP syndrome, an acronym standing for Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelets. Cori, who has lived with lupus since age six and suffered a stroke at the beginning of 2024, had previously described her pregnancy as 'high risk.'
In September, when her daughter was six months old and still in the NICU, Cori spoke warmly about her 'feisty' baby, whom she described as 'so resilient and strong' in an interview with Us Weekly. She noted that Codi 'just has so much character' and that medical staff frequently commented on her alertness and intelligence.
Nurse's Touching Reflection
Cori also reshared a post from her baby's nurse, who had uploaded a video of a mobile spinning over Codi's crib along with her own reflections on the tragedy. 'I been sad for 6 days straight. Being a nurse has its ups and downs and this is the biggest down I ever experienced,' the nurse wrote. 'It was such a pleasure being mybabygirls nurse. I gave her one last bath told her I loved her and didn't even know I was getting her ready for Heaven.' She added that Codi's parents were 'forever in my heart and my family 4 ever,' concluding her post with a praying hands emoji.
When announcing her baby's early arrival last February at 25 weeks, Cori had confessed she 'cried and cried' while 'compared and compared, blaming myself that I wasn’t able to give her all that she needed.' Despite the challenges, she maintained that Codi was 'perfect as ever!' and expressed gratitude: 'Thank You God for getting me this far no matter the odds that are constantly thrown against me.'
