Notorious B.I.G was murdered at the age of 24 in a drive-by shooting in 1997
By Kehinde Okeowo
Voletta Wallace, mother of legendary American rapper, Christopher Wallace better known as The Notorious B.I.G, has died at the age of 78.
Her death, in hospice care at her residence in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, was confirmed on Friday by the Monroe County coroner, Thomas Yanac but a cause was not specified.
Born in Jamaica, Voletta immigrated to the United States and built a life as a preschool teacher in Brooklyn, where she raised her only son, The Notorious B.I.G.
While alive, she was best known for managing the estate of her son, who was one of the reigning hip-hop stars of his era until he was murdered at the age of 24 in a drive-by shooting in 1997.
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By the time of Mrs Wallace’s demise, her son’s estate was thought to be worth $160 million, up from the $10 million it was estimated at when Biggie was killed, via TMZ.
Her death came months after her shocking comments about Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is currently in jail awaiting trial on multiple charges, including rape.
In 1993, Notorious B.I.G became the first artiste to sign with Diddy’s label, Bad Boy Records.
