Afeni Shakur Davis, activist and mother of slain rapper Tupac Shakur, has died. She was 69.
According to People, Davis died in Sausalito, California last night at approximately 10:28 p.m. Marin County police were called in response to a report of possible cardiac arrest at 9:30 p.m.. Davis was transported to a local hospital where she died nearly an hour later.
Born Alice Faye Williams in North Carolina, Davis was an active member of the Black Panther Party in New York as a young adult. In 1969, she was arrested with other members of the party on conspiracy to bomb city landmarks. Two years later in 1971, she was acquitted on all charges and gave birth to her son, Tupac, one month later on June 16, 1971.
In the years following her son's tragic death, Davis continued to spread his legacy. She founded the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, which held a summer performing arts camp for children, while also continuing to release new material from Tupac's musical catalog and commemorating her son by holding yearly concerts in June around his birthday. Davis also co-produced the musical Holla If Ya Hear Me, which featured her son's music in 2014. She was also involved with the upcoming Tupac Shakur biopic All Eyez on Me.
Most recently, Davis had been embroiled in a legal battle with her ex-husband Gust Davis. After 12 years of marriage, Davis had filed for divorce from her husband and was trying to bar him from receiving half of the $20,000 a month she earned from her son's estate, according to The New York Daily News. The Marin County Sheriff's Coroner's Office will be launching an investigation into Davis' death.
Screenshot via YouTube.