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| Photo Courtesy Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation |
The Monroe County Coroner's Office confirmed her death in a press release Friday, stating that Wallace died of natural causes while in hospice care at her home in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
Born in Jamaica, Wallace was a preschool teacher who raised her only child, Christopher Wallace — later known as Biggie Smalls or The Notorious B.I.G. — in Brooklyn, New York. After her son was murdered in a 1997 drive-by shooting at age 24, she dedicated her life to keeping his memory alive, launching the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation to promote community empowerment through arts and education.
Despite decades of speculation, the shooting deaths of Biggie Smalls and his former rap rival, Tupac Shakur — who was killed in 1996 — remain unsolved. In the years following her son’s death, Wallace was vocal about seeking justice, at times openly criticizing the investigation into his killing.
Her strength and grace were on full display at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards when she publicly embraced Afeni Shakur, Tupac’s mother, in a moment of unity that transcended the bitter East Coast–West Coast rap rivalry that defined much of the 1990s. The two mothers, introduced on stage by actor and rapper Will Smith, stood together in a powerful image of healing and solidarity.
Wallace remained active in her son’s legacy, working as a producer on "Notorious," the 2009 biopic about Biggie’s life, where she was portrayed by Oscar-nominated actress Angela Bassett. The film was executive-produced by Sean “Diddy” Combs, Biggie’s longtime collaborator and the founder of Bad Boy Records, the label that launched his career.
In recent years, Wallace made headlines when she spoke out against Combs, particularly after video footage surfaced in 2024 showing him assaulting his former girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, in a Los Angeles hotel. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Wallace condemned Combs, saying she wanted to “slap the daylights” out of him for his actions.
Beyond her public persona, Wallace was a self-described “avid gardener,” frequently sharing photos of her flowers on Instagram. In 2020, following Biggie’s posthumous induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, she reflected on his enduring influence.
"Today, I'm feeling great," she told Billboard at the time. "As a mother, I'm extremely proud of his accomplishments. You know, I still see such a young man at a young age, and sadly, he's not here to witness all this. But it's an astute honor, and as a mother, I'm just elated for that."
"Many of [Biggie's songs] speak truth," she continued. "It might be gritty, and maybe the language is so out there, but he was honest. There was nothing fake about what he was doing. I think for such a young man to resonate such honesty in his lyrics is awesome."
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