Voletta Wallace, the mother of the legendary 1990s rapper, The Notorious B.I.G., has sadly passed away in hospice care in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. She was 72, with her birthday recently being on February 3rd.
The news of Wallace’s death was reported by TMZ through Monroe County, Pennsylvania, Coroner. The news outlet reported that Wallace died of natural causes on Friday morning.
After her son’s tragic death, she, along with his widow, Faith Evans, and a legal team, ran the late rapper’s estate. According to Afrotech, Biggie Smalls was valued at $160 million dollars as of 2021, despite having a net worth of $20 million dollars.
Wallace was an advocate, seeking justice to find out who was responsible for murdering her son, who was murdered in a drive-by shooting in 1997 at the age of 24. His murder still remains unsolved as the 28th anniversary of his death is nearly approaching (March 9th).
Wallace told the Daily Mail in an interview on the 20th anniversary of her son’s death that she had a “very good idea” as to who was responsible for murdering her son,” believing that the LAPD knew exactly who was responsible.
“They’ve done their investigation, but they just refuse to move forward. I don’t know why they haven’t arrested [those] who [were] involved,” said Wallace.
She told the Daily Mail, “I believe it’s a massive conspiracy, and someone is undoubtedly receiving protection at some point.”
She also was an advocate in preserving her son’s legacy. In 2022, she attended a ceremony alongside Biggie’s children and friends, Lil Kim and Lil Cease, to illuminate the Empire State Building in red and white, celebrating what would have been his 50th birthday.
Angela Bassett portrayed Wallace in the 2009 biopic Notorious, on the life of the slain rapper. In an interview with Variety Magazine, she revealed that she would visit the set daily, and the final product left her feeling both angry and sad.
She also shared with the news outlet that she learned a lot about her son, a lot that she never knew from the biopic, stating that she still loves him because he’s in her heart.