Voletta Wallace, the mother of the late hip-hop rapper Biggie, has died. The news of her passing was made public my TMZ on Friday and confirmed by Monroe County Coroner Thomas Yanac in Stroudsberg, Penn. She was reportedly in hospice care and died of natural causes. She was 72.
One of rap’s most popular matriarchs, Wallace played a vital role in the shaping and management of her son’s career. After giving birth to Biggie, born Christopher Wallace, the Jamaican native worked as a preschool teacher and raised her son as a single mother in Brooklyn. Once it became clear that he was destined to blow up in the world of rap, Wallace rallied behind him in support of his dreams, and even appeared in his 1994 music video for his single, “Juicy.” (There’s even a line dedicated to her in the song.)
The positive relationship between Wallace and her only child would continue as Biggie’s rise to fame continued to unfold, but unfortunately, thanks to his untimely death in 1997—their relationship would come to an abrupt and shocking end. Yet her love was apparent as she spent her time doing all she could to honor his legacy and contributions.
In 2005, she penned a memoir entitled “Biggie: Voletta Wallace Remembers Her Son, Christopher Wallace, aka Notorious B.I.G.” Four years later, she’d put on a Hollywood hat to help produce his popular 2009 biopic, “Notorious,” in which Angela Bassett portrayed her. She also took care of business on the financial front and oversaw Biggie’s estate, ensuring that the earnings would eventually pass down to his two children, T’yanna Wallace and C.J. Wallace. The same year the global pandemic hit in 2020, Wallace celebrated the fact that her son was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
But no matter the achievements, she never ceased to make it clear that she was still fighting for justice over her son’s death and would remain vigilant in finding his assailant. The following year, when Netflix released its documentary, “Biggie: I Have a Story to Tell,” she told Entertainment Weekly that she’d “never give up” and was determined to “carry on the fight” to make sure her son got the justice he deserved.
“As long as I have life there’s hope,” she said at the time. “I’ll never give up. And I hope when I’m not in this world anymore, my friends and family will carry on the fight. There is always hope.”