Photo: WENN
Afeni Shakur Davis, mother of late rap legend Tupac Shakur, has died at the age of 69.
Taken to a local hospital late last night after deputies were called to her home in Sausalito, California following a possible cardiac arrest, she died just before 10:30pm, according to the local sheriff’s office.
Born Alice Faye Williams, Shakur was the inspiration behind one of her son’s most iconic records, ‘Dear Mama’, taken from his 1995 album Me Against The World. A former member of the Black Panther Party founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, she was arrested in 1969 and charged with conspiracy to bomb multiple city landmarks, but was acquitted on all charges in 1971.
Following the death of Tupac in 1996, Shakur took over her son’s estate, which according to sources earns around $900,000 each year.
Shakur was a dedicated humanitarian who founded the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts in 1997 in Stone Mountain, Georgia, in order to provide opportunities for young people through the arts, with programs such as drama, dance, and creative writing on offer.
A regular voice in the world of hip hop when it came to documentaries and magazine articles about her son, Shakur also co-produced the 2014 Broadway jukebox musical Holler If Ya Hear Me, which featured much of Tupac’s music.
Serving as executive producer on the upcoming biopic All Eyez on Me, a movie about her son’s life due for release in November, Afeni’s character is played by The Walking Dead’s Danai Gurira.
The Marin County Sheriff's Coroner's Office are currently looking into the cause and manner of Shakur's death.
