Afeni Shakur Davis, Activist & Mother Of Tupac, Dies Of Suspected Heart Attack


It has been reported that Afeni Shakur Davis, the mother of legendary artist Tupac Shakur, died on Monday night at approximately 9:43 p.m. in Northern California. Early reports state that a heart attack seems to be the culprit behind the death of the community leader.

Officials from the Marin County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the death through a series of tweets, which explained that they responded to a call for assistance at her home in Sausalito, California. According to ABC 7, the sheriff’s department reported that the 911 call from Afeni’s home said she was possibly experiencing cardiac arrest. According to Lt. Dough Pittman she was transported to a nearby hospital, where, unfortunately, she was pronounced dead roughly an hour later at approximately 10:28 p.m.

In addition to being a mother to Tupac, the man who has been called one of the best rappers of all time, Afeni Shakur Davis was also a philanthropist, a member of the Black Panther Party, and a reformed drug addict. She also defended herself in court after being accused of playing a part in multiple bombings.

Also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, Tupac Shakur’s best-selling albums included All Eyez on Me and Greatest Hits. Davis was featured prominently in her son’s life, and one of his songs, “Dear Mama,” was dedicated to her, and she even featured in the music video, reminiscing on the joys and challenges they faced together. In the song, he reiterated that “ain’t no woman alive that can take my mama’s place.” The Tupac track became a Billboard hit.

Tupac was shot numerous times in a drive-by shooting while he was leaving a Las Vegas boxing event in 1996. One year after Tupac’s death, Afeni founded and began running the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, for youth in the arts, in memory of her murdered son. According to TMZ, Afeni, being the natural “keeper of all things Tupac,” had greenlit and only recently wrapped up filming the Tupac biopic All Eyez on Me.

Afeni was only 69-years-old, and according to biographer Jasmine Guy, she was born under the name Alice Faye Williams in Lumberton, North Carolina.

The world is in shock and mourning the death of a woman who contributed so much to black culture. Twitter is championing the remembrance, with many giving thanks to the struggle Afeni Shakur Davis undertook as an activist and Black Panther as well as for the role she played in gifting us Tupac, who also took up the cause to change the world.

The Marin County Sheriff has advised that a coroner will examine the body in order to determine if the exact cause of Afeni Shakur Davis’ death truly was a heart attack.

There has been no further information released regarding her death at this time. The sheriff’s department has announced though that once they have completed the investigation into Afeni Shakur Davis’ death, they will brief the media.

[Photo by Star Max via AP Images]

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