NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� the dedicated mother of the late great rapper and protector of his legacy, died Friday morning. She was 78.
Monroe County Coroner Thomas Yanac confirmed her death Friday to The Associated Press, saying she died at her home in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, after a stint on hospice care. She died of natural causes.
A representative for the estate of The Notorious B.I.G. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Notorious B.I.G., one of the rap鈥檚 greatest performers, in Los Angeles in 1997. The case remains unsolved. He was survived by his wife, the musician and actress Faith Evans, and his two children, Christopher Jordan Wallace and T鈥檡anna Dream Wallace.
Wallace was a dedicated keeper of the legacy of her son, born Christopher Wallace. When he first emerged on the scene as one of rap's most distinctive talents with songs that expertly detailed street life in Brooklyn, she labeled his music 鈥渘oise.鈥�
Since his death, his gift took on a new meaning for her. She told AP in 2017, 20 years after his death, 鈥淚 remembered my son said, 鈥楧on鈥檛 listen to my music.鈥� And I never listened to his music. I heard it on the radio and it sounded good, because it was clean. But I said, 鈥榊ou know what, I have to. I have to listen to that music.鈥� And that鈥檚 what I did."
鈥淚 cried so much that day just listening to the music. I remember I sat, I stood. I rested my head on the stereo and I just cried like a baby. And that was therapy for me. And I said, 鈥極h my God 鈥� that was a talented young man to put those words together.鈥� He had a beautiful voice. I love his voice,鈥� she continued.
Wallace launched the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation following her son's death, an organization that provides educational resources for children. In 2003, she honored mothers of other musicians who died untimely deaths 鈥� Aaliyah, Lisa 鈥淟eft Eye鈥� Lopes, Jam Master Jay, Big Pun, Big L and Freaky Tah 鈥� at 鈥淏.I.G. Night Out,鈥� a benefit for the foundation.
鈥淚t is our way of saying, 鈥楰eep your head up,鈥濃�� Wallace told AP at the time. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the foundation鈥檚 way just to let these parents know that we love them.鈥�
She also took legal action on behalf of her son. In 2004, she dropped a wrongful-death lawsuit against a former suspect in the rap star鈥檚 slaying 鈥� Amir Muhammad, aka Harry Billups. The 2002 lawsuit also named the city of Los Angeles and Muhammad鈥檚 former college roommate, David A. Mack, a Los Angeles policeman. It accused Mack of hiring Muhammad to shoot the hip-hop artist and police of failing to investigate properly after a fellow officer came under suspicion.
In 2021, Wallace worked as an executive producer on the Netflix documentary 鈥淏iggie: I Got a Story to Tell," and told AP about her role in the public eye.
鈥淭hey never knew me. The public never knew me. I was thrust into this environment, I should say, after he passed away, because I鈥檓 a very private person. Extremely private," she said. "What he was doing out there, maybe I should have known. But honestly, I didn鈥檛. And to this day, there are people who are saying, 鈥極h, she knew.鈥� (whispers) But I never knew.鈥�
Notorious B.I.G.'s 1994 debut album for Bad Boy Records, 鈥淩eady to Die,鈥� has sold over six million units as of 2018, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, and included the hits 鈥淏ig Poppa鈥� and 鈥淛uicy.鈥�
His sophomore album, 鈥淟ife After Death,鈥� released two weeks after his death, sold more than 11 million units. It launched multiple hits, including the timeless No. 1 hits 鈥淢o Money Mo Problems鈥� and 鈥淗ypnotize.鈥� In 1997, Wallace accepted the MTV Video Music Award for best rap video for 鈥淗ypnotize鈥� on behalf of her son. ___
Associated Press journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton contributed to this report.
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
