The mother of the late rapper Tupac Shakur has died in Sausalito, California, according to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office. She was 69.
Deputies responded to the home of Afeni Shakur Davis around 9:30 p.m. Monday, after receiving the report of a person possibly in cardiac arrest, according to Lt. Doug Pittman.
Davis was taken to the hospital, where she died about an hour later, Pittman said. The coroner’s office will lead the investigation into her death and a forensic autopsy is planned Tuesday afternoon, according to a statement. Officials said, however, that toxicology results won't be available for several weeks.
Pittman called her a "well-loved and well-respected" woman in the community who served as a leader and activist, especially in southern Marin County. "This is a tragic loss to this community," he said.
Pittman held a news conference Tuesday to assure the public that no foul play was suspected at this point. Davis was in the company of her friend when she started experiencing discomfort, he said. At that point, her friend called 911.
Born Alice Faye Williams in Lumberton, North Carolina, Davis was a reformed drug addict and member of the Black Panther Party, according to biographer Jasmine Guy.
Davis served nearly a year in prison for allegedly conspiring to bomb police stations and department stores in New York City just before giving birth to Tupac in 1971.
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She served as her own defense attorney and was acquitted multiple times, according to an account of her trial in a book called "The Briar Patch" by former attorney Murray Kempton.
Davis was the subject of Tupac's Billboard hit "Dear Mama," released in 1995. Her fans on social media referenced that song in their tweets and posts.
A year later, she founded the now-defunct Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts in Stone Mountain, Georgia, to preserve her son's legacy.
Tupac, also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996. The hip-hop legend's best-selling albums include "All Eyez on Me" and "Greatest Hits."
Shakur attended Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley and lived in public housing in Marin County. He started his career in the early '90s with Digital Underground, an alternative hip hop group from Oakland.
