Annette Brown/Getty ImagesUPDATE: The Shakur family has released a statement after the death of Afeni Shakur Davis.
"We are deeply saddened by the untimely passing of Afeni Shakur. Afeni embodied strength, resilience, wisdom and love," the statement read. "She was a pioneer for social change and was committed to building a more peaceful world."
The post continued, "An outspoken and eloquent advocate for today's youth, Afeni founded the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation to instill a sense of freedom of expression and education through the artis. Afeni was a deeply devoted mother, grandmother and sister. Her spirit will forever inspire all of those who had the honor and privilege of knowing her."
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Tupac Shakur's mother, Afeni Shakur Davis, has died. She was 69.
According to the Marin County Sheriff's Office, police responded to a call of possible cardiac arrest Monday night at 9:30 p.m. PT at her home in Sausalito, Calif. Davis was transported to the hospital soon after where she passed away at 10:34 p.m. The coroner's office is expected to investigate the exact cause of death.
Davis was the subject of Tupac's hit song "Dear Mama."
"You always was committed / A poor single mother on welfare, tell me how ya did it / There's no way I can pay you back / But the plan is to show you that I understand / You are appreciated," he rapped in the 1995 track.
Tupac was shot and killed in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996. He spent nearly a week in the hospital before dying as a result of his injuries. The shooter was never caught, but many theories have been pondered. After his death, Davis began the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation.
In her youth, Davis was a Black Panther activist. In 2005, however, Davis opened up about her dark battle with drugs and how her son helped her get back on track with her life. "He asked me if I could handle it, and I said yeah because I'd been dipping and dabbing all my life," she said during the interview, referencing her cocaine addiction. "What pissed him off is that I lied to him."
She also revealed that her son warned local drug dealers not to sell to his mother. He also told his mother she would have to get clean or forget about being part of his life, which was already beginning to see success. He also mentioned her drug issues in the song "Dear Mama."
Davis got clean in 1991, but after her son's death in 1996 she struggled not to fall back into her old habits. Instead, she founded Amaru Entertainment, a record and film production company meant to keep her son's music alive.
Tupac's mother later turned into a major philanthropist and also helped launch the Broadway musical Holler If Ya Hear Me in 2014, which featured her son's music.
Our thoughts and prayers goes out to her family.