Jay-Z better boyfriend after father's death

London, Dec 1 - The death of his father has made rapper Jay-Z become a better boyfriend to R&B singer Beyonce Knowles.

The death in 2003 helped him open up emotionally and taught him the importance of dealing with emotional issues, contactmusic.com reported.

He said: 'When I was young, the person I looked up to most was my father, and once I experienced that hurt, the separation from the guy you thought was Superman, you never want to feel that hurt again.'

Jay-Z believes his relationship with Beyonce has improved as a result of his emotional bravery. 'I'm sure she thinks I'm closed off. I'm working on it. Just trying to deal with emotional issues, taking them on proactively. Before, I wouldn't even address it,' he said.

Jay-Z's father had left him when he was just 12 years old and the father and son only reconciled just before the father's death.