NEW YORK — Voletta Wallace, the devoted mother of the renowned rapper The Notorious B.I.G. and steadfast steward of his legacy, passed away Friday morning at the age of 78.
Monroe County Coroner Thomas Yanac confirmed that she died at her residence in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, after receiving hospice care; the cause of death was determined to be natural.
Requests for comments from representatives of The Notorious B.I.G.’s estate have not been met with a response.
The Notorious B.I.G., celebrated as one of hip-hop’s finest artists, was tragically killed at the young age of 24 in Los Angeles in 1997. His murder remains officially unresolved. He is survived by his wife, Faith Evans, who is both a musician and actress, along with two children, Christopher Jordan Wallace and T’yanna Dream Wallace.
Voletta was sharply focused on preserving the legacy of her son, born Christopher Wallace. Initially, when he was gaining fame with poignant lyrics that captured the essence of street life in Brooklyn, she referred to his music as “noise.” However, following his untimely death, her perception of his artistry transformed significantly. In a 2017 interview, exactly 20 years after his passing, she recalled, “I remembered my son said, ‘Don’t listen to my music.’ And I never listened to his music. I heard it on the radio and it sounded good, because it was clean. But I said, ‘You know what, I have to. I have to listen to that music.’ And that’s what I did.”
Reflecting on that emotional experience, she shared, “I cried so much that day just listening to the music. I remember I sat, I stood. I rested my head on the stereo and I just cried like a baby. And that was therapy for me. And I said, ‘Oh my God — that was a talented young man to put those words together.’ He had a beautiful voice. I love his voice,” she added.
Following her son’s passing, Wallace founded the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation, aimed at offering educational resources to children. In 2003, she honored other mothers who had lost children in the music industry — including Aaliyah, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Tupac Shakur, Jam Master Jay, Big Pun, Big L, and Freaky Tah — during an event called “B.I.G. Night Out,” which served as a fundraiser for the foundation.
“At that event, we aimed to inspire and uplift. It’s the foundation’s way just to let these parents know that we love them,” she expressed at the time.
Wallace also engaged in legal pursuits on behalf of her son. In 2004, she retracted a wrongful-death lawsuit against Amir Muhammad, a former suspect in her son’s murder. The suit, filed in 2002, included allegations involving the city of Los Angeles and Muhammad’s former college roommate, David A. Mack, who was a police officer. The lawsuit accused Mack of enlisting Muhammad to carry out the crime and claimed that the police mishandled the investigation.
In 2021, she served as an executive producer on the Netflix documentary “Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell,” discussing her role and visibility since her son’s death. “They never knew me. The public never knew me. I was thrust into this environment, I should say, after he passed away, because I’m a very private person. Extremely private,” she reflected. “What he was doing out there, maybe I should have known. But honestly, I didn’t. And to this day, there are people who are saying, ‘Oh, she knew.’ (whispers) But I never knew.”
The Notorious B.I.G.’s debut album, “Ready to Die,” released in 1994 under Bad Boy Records, has sold upwards of six million copies as of 2018, featuring hit singles like “Big Poppa” and “Juicy.” His posthumous album, “Life After Death,” which came out two weeks after his death, exceeded 11 million units sold and produced several major hits, including the iconic chart-toppers “Mo Money Mo Problems” and “Hypnotize.” In 1997, Voletta Wallace accepted the MTV Video Music Award for best rap video for “Hypnotize” on behalf of her son.