Afeni Shakur Davis, the mother of late rapper, Tupac Shakur has died, according to the Marin County Sheriff office. She was 69.
Police responded to a call of a possible cardiac arrest at 9:34 p.m. on May 1 at Davis’s home in Sausalito, California. She was transported to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead at 10:28 p.m.
The cause of death has yet to be determined and will be investigated by the Sheriff’s Coroner’s office.
Born Alice Faye Williams in 1947, she changed her name to Afeni Shakur when she joined the Black Panther movement in the 1960s.
She served 11 months in jail while pregnant with her rapper son before she was acquitted, acting as her own criminal defense attorney on charges of conspiracy to bomb national landmarks as a member of the Black Panther Party
In June of 1971, she gave birth to her son, who fans would later come to know and adore as Tupac Shakur.
Tupac Shakur featured his mother in his music, including his 1995 hit “Dear Mama.”
When Tupac was gunned down in 1996, Afeni Shakur took over his estate and kept his legacy alive by establishing the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation and the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The center served as a platform for the youth to engage in the arts.
She was an executive producer for the current film about the late rapper’s life titled, “All Eyez On Me.” The Benny Boom directed film is scheduled for release sometime this year, and actress Danai Gurira will play Afeni Shakur.
No arrests have been made in the murder of Tupac Shakur.
