PHOTO: WIRE IMAGE

People.com reports that Usher’s father, Usher Raymond III, passed at an Atlanta hospital this past Friday (January 18th). The website says it first heard of the death from the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Tennessee and that the singer’s reps have confirmed the death. No word on the cause of death. Usher, according to People, was unavailable for comment. The singer and his wife recently celebrated the birth of their son, Usher Raymond V. And it was also reported that he had recently made peace with his estranged father, who struggled with substance abuse and once spent nearly 1 year in prison. Our condolences go out to Usher and his family at this obviously painful time.