Dennis Graham: Drake’s Father’s Cancer Diagnosis

Canadian rapper and singer Drake revealed on May 15 2026 that his father, Dennis Graham, had been diagnosed with cancer. Drake has released many top hits such as Wait For U, Work and One Dance, having sold millions of records worldwide.

Drake, whose real name is Aubrey, was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1986. His father, Dennis Graham, was also a musician. Graham was a former drummer and singer-songwriter and played an influential role in his son’s music career and rise to fame.

Graham met Drake’s mother, Sandi, at a bar and the two of them got married in June 1985. “That’s where I met Drake’s mother. I was at the bar, asking the bartender where I could find cigarettes. So, she goes — Sandi, is her name — she goes, ‘Here, have one of mine.’ And that was it,” Graham shared.

However, their marriage was short-lived and they split a few years later. After their divorce, Sandi took custody of Drake and Graham only got to see his son in the summers.

Graham also had a career in music, being a former drummer for his band, Dennis Graham and the North Memphis Band. He was also a singer-songwriter, releasing his first single, Kinda Crazy, in 2016.

Despite not seeing each other often during Drake’s childhood, Graham and his son have a close relationship. When Drake rose to stardom with his breakout single Best I Ever Had, Graham discovered that his son did not need him as much as he had expected.

“I thought I was going to have to help him when he first started. I thought I should be there to help him and make sure that he's not being taken advantage of or anything like that,” Graham shared. “He was extremely smart about what he was doing and knew every step that he was taking, so I never had to worry about him again ever. I'm so happy about that.”

However, they had their ups and downs. Drake’s portrayal of Graham in his songs had sparked frustration in Graham as it made him out to be a bad father due to his absence in Drake’s childhood. He believed that their relationship “has always been good” and that he “got on [Drake]” about the lyrics “that made people think that we were not close.”

Drake has often candidly chronicled his relationship with his parents in his music. On May 15 2026, Drake is set to release his long-anticipated album, Iceman. During the fourth episode of his Iceman livestream, he revealed a track titled Make Them Cry. The track featured lyrics about his father’s cancer, as he rapped, “My dad got cancer right now / We battling stages.”

At this point of writing, no other information has been revealed about Graham’s cancer.