Kanye West says he identifies with late British designer Alexander McQueen

Kanye West has said he identifies with Alexander McQueen after watching a documentary about the late British fashion designer’s life.

McQueen was one of the world’s top designers when he took his own life at the age of 40 in 2010 and West spoke about his own suicidal thoughts.

In a series of tweets on Friday, the 41-year-old rapper told fans he had seen the documentary McQueen and “connected with his journey”.

West, who has three young children with his reality TV star wife, Kim Kardashian West, said: “I saw the Alexander McQueen documentary and I connected with his journey. I know how it feels to want to take your life back into your own hands even if it means taking your own life.

“To make this clear and not weird I’ve had these kinds of thoughts and I’m going to tell you things I’ve done to stay in a content place.

“How to NOT kill yourself pt 1 Avoid being around people who make you want to kill yourself.”

West has been open with his mental health troubles in the past and speaking to the New York Times in June revealed he often considered killing himself.

His latest album, Ye, features a song titled I Thought About Killing You and West said: “Oh yeah, I’ve thought about killing myself all the time.

“It’s always an option and (expletive). Like Louis C.K. said: I flip through the manual. I weigh all the options.”

He added: “I’m just having this epiphany now, ’cause I didn’t do it, but I did think it all the way through.

“But if I didn’t think it all the way through, then it’s actually maybe more of a chance of it happening.”

McQueen was the chief designer of French fashion giant Givenchy from 1996 to 2001 and had his own label, Alexander McQueen.