How These Celebrities Reacted To The Death Of Tupac Shakur
The hip-hop world shed a collective tear in September 1996 as one of the pioneers of rap passed far too early. Tupac Shakur was tragically murdered on that terrible night in Las Vegas. Leaving behind a legacy of greatness and a murder mystery that remains to this day, Shakur's passing was a devastating blow to millions around the world who loved the hip-hop super star.
Among those who mourned his passing were some of his fellow celebrities, each of whom had their own perspective on how the monolithic hip-hop star's death impacted their lives. It's been over twenty years since we lost Shakur, and his impact continues to ripple through not only the hip-hop world, but the entertainment world as a whole.
6 Jada Pinkett Smith
To say Jada Pinkett Smith and Tupac shared a bond is an understatement. Sharing time in real life as well as on-screen, the Matrix Reloaded star was hit hard by the rapper’s death. On an episode of Red Table Talk, Pinkett said, "I've had a lot of loss. So many of my close friends gone. They didn't make it to 30. They didn't make it past 25. A lot of people talk about my relationship with Pac and figure that out. That was a huge loss in my life." Jada continued, "Because he was one of those people I expected to be here. My upset is more anger because I feel like he left me. and I know that's not true, and it's a very selfish way to think about it… I really did believe he'd be here for the long run. And when I think about it, I still get really mad."
5 The Notorious B.I.G.
Once a close friend of Tupac’s, Christopher Wallace, aka “The Notorious B.I.G.” was a controversial figure in Shakur’s life. Pitted against one another in an East Coast vs West Coast hip-hop war, the two monsters of rap were fierce rivals until Tupac’s untimely death. According to Faith Evans, Wallace’s former wife, Biggie was crying and afraid after he heard the news. Evans continued, quoting Biggie as saying, “Shit got fucked up somewhere along the way. But that was my n***a.”
4 Diddy
In 2018, Eminem threw out some damning accusations toward Diddy in his song “Kill Shot,” hinting at his involvement in the murder of Tupac back in '96. Though “Slim Shady” later admitted he was joking, these words allegedly enraged Diddy. However, it was rapper, Joe Budden that responded to the claim. According to Joe.co.uk, Budden said, "Nothing to speculate about, nothing to talk about. Puff said it's in his hands, and he said, I can say it... he wild."
3 Treach
"We spoke many a time, and he was like, 'I don't see myself growing old," is what Treach told MTV News. The two rappers became close during their time as roadies for Digital Underground and Queen Latifa. Treach went on to say to MTV News, "You gotta listen to songs like 'If I Die 2Nite' and 'I Wonder if Heaven Got a Ghetto.' When he was in that mode, in that zone, you gotta be like, 'What's going on? You a'ight? Pac couldn't sit down for five minutes. He was always going, 'Yeah, everything good, good, good.' When you listen to him and you see his demeanour, he was more or less, like, on watch. He had a deadline. He was working at a pace, like, 'Where you going? You going on vacation? You going to jail? You doing sh-- like you tryna finish everything right now and cover stuff.' You couldn't find him half the time; he was gone. He had a plan."
2 Mickey Rourke
Tupac and Mickey Rourke made for an uncanny friendship. Meeting on the set of Bullet, the actor and rapper became fast friends. In an Interview with The Mike Swick Podcast, Rourke said this regarding his friendship with Tupac: "Let's put it this way, Tupac and I are both from the street, okay? Now, we were either gonna get along or it was gonna be on, and we just clicked." Rourke continued, "I was in Brazil making a movie; my manager called me up and said Tupac got shot in Las Vegas and I said I'm coming home. He says 'no, no, no, he's gonna be ok.' Next day I got a call, and they said he died." A visibly shaken Rourke then finished by saying, "I'll always have very fond, loving memories of him."
1 Suge Knight
One of the most notorious figures in the world of hip-hop, the menacing former head of Death Row Records was in the same car as Tupac when the rapper was fatally shot. In the aftermath of the shooting, Suge was interviewed by MTV News. When asked what Tupac's last words to him were, Knight said, "That he loved me. We was getting on the thing there, and I said, 'Pac, we the last ones left' and we talked, this is how we talked and he said, 'I'm straight, I love you hommie, I'mma be straight,' and that's how it was." Knight continued, "My main goal is to fulfill Tupac's dreams and Tupac would definitely not want the music to change or the style, so I'm gonna keep it the way he would like it."
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