West and a female passenger were driving south on the 110 Freeway at about 10 p.m. on Monday when his 2009 Bentley Azure T suddenly turned off the road into a concrete median near the Slauson exit, a Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman said.

West was taken by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Center, where he was pronounced dead at 10:23 p.m., said the spokeswoman, Veejay Zala.

His female companion, whose name was not released by police, is in critical but stable condition.

Police investigators did not immediately know the cause of the accident.

West’s tongue-twisting raps, along with his flamboyant personality and unflappable self-confidence, helped him become a worldwide hip-hop icon almost overnight.

In three years, West went from producing songs for hip-hop artists such as Jay-Z to a wildly successful solo career of his own. Starting with the best-selling and critically acclaimed hit album “The College Dropout” in 2004, West’s next three albums all hit number-one on the charts.

Always a media darling, West was never afraid to speak his mind — which often got him into trouble.

Last month, West found himself in controversy again for his infamous interruption of country singer Taylor Swift at the MTV Music Awards ceremony.

During the awards ceremony on Sept 13, West unexpectedly came onstage during Swift’s acceptance speech for “Best Female Video,” took the microphone, and said that Beyonce, also nominated for the award, should have won instead.

West later apologized to Swift.

West had survived a near-fatal car crash in 2002 as he was driving home from his recording studio. The crash provided inspiration for West’s first single, “Through the Wire”.