Afeni Shakur Davis, the mother of iconic rapper Tupac Shakur, has died at age 69.
Shakur Davis’ death was confirmed in a tweet from the Marin County Sheriff’s office Tuesday morning.
According to the sheriff’s office, police responded to her Sausalito home for a possible cardiac arrest at around 9:30 p.m. Monday night. She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead about an hour later.
Shakur-Davis was the subject of one of her son’s hit songs, “Dear mama.” She took up his legacy after his 1996 death in a drive-by shooting, accepting numerous awards on his behalf and attending events paying tribute to his life.
She notably spoke alongside the mother of Biggie Smalls, her son’s rival, in a joint appearance at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. Introduced by Will Smith, the two women paid tribute to the power of music and said they were both working to preserve their sons’ legacies. The two then presented Jay Z with the award for best rap video of the year.
In addition to being the mother of the famed rapper, Shakur Davis was an activist and member of the Black Panther Party.
Police said the coroner’s office will be leading an investigation to determine how exactly she died.
