Afeni Shakur, Tupac’s Mother, Dead at 69

Afeni Shakur, the political activist, philanthropist, former Black Panther, and mother of late rapper Tupac, died last night in California, TMZ reports. After reports of a possible cardiac arrest at her home in Sausalito, she was transported to the hospital. She passed away at the hospital, according to the Marin County Sheriff. She was 69 years old.

Born Alice Faye Williams in 1947, Afeni Shakur changed her name in in the ’60s after moving to New York, where she joined the Black Panthers. After being cleared of multiple criminal charges, she gave birth to Tupac in 1971. Following Tupac’s death in 1996, she became the head of his estate and founded the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, which provides art programs for young people. In 2014, Shakur co-produced Broadway musical Holler If Ya Hear Me starring Saul Williams. She also greenlit the forthcoming Tupac biopic, All Eyez on Me, in which she will be played by Danai Gurira.

Listen to Tupac’s tribute song “Dear Mama,” which samples her voice:

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