Rapper Kanye West plans to marry fiancee Alexis Phifer by the end of the year to fulfill his late mother's last wish.

West wants to go ahead and get married because he believes his mother wanted him to settle down, reports ContactMusic.com.

A family friend said: 'His mother's sudden death brought into focus just how short life really is. Kanye doesn't want to wait any longer to make Alexis his wife. He believes that this is what his mom would want him to do. Kanye knew how much his mother loved Alexis and how she was looking forward to seeing them married.'

Before her death, Kanye's mother Donda had called Phifer 'a very outstanding young woman'. She said: 'I can't think of one negative thing I would say about her even in private.'
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