Afeni Shakur, the mother of rap legend Tupac Shakur, died pm Monday from a possible cardiac arrest in California.

According to the Marin County Sheriff's Office, the 69-year-old died in a San Francisco Bay area hospital at around 10:28 p.m.  Officials responded to a distress call about a possible cardiac arrest from Shakur's Sausalito residence at 9:30.

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The Sheriff's Office confirmed Shakur's death via Twitter  on Tuesday. Authorities have also announced plans to investigate the exact cause of her death.  

"Sheriff's Coroners Office will lead investigation to determine exact cause & manner of Afeni Shakur's death," the office tweeted.

Shakur, a civil rights activist and former member of the Black Panther movement, is best remembered as Tupac's mother. She was born Alice Faye Williams in North Carolina. However, she changed her name soon after joining the Black Panthers in New York.
 
In 1969, Shakur and other members of the Black Panther movement were arrested and charged with conspiracy to bomb several locations in New York city. A month before giving birth to Tupac, Shakur and 20 others were acquitted of the charges. Shakur represented herself in the trial.

Shakur, who is the subject of Tupac's song "Dear Mama," is responsible for the continued survival for her son's legacy.

Tupac was killed at 25 in a drive-by-shooting in 1996. The murder one of the Hip-Hop's biggest stars still remains unsolved. However, it inspired Shakur to continue her activism and philanthropy.

Shakur took over her son's estate following his death. Tupac's estate reportedly makes about $900,000 annually.  Under her watch, Tupac released six albums after his death - two more than he had recorded. She also led campaigns against gun violence and founded the Tupac Amaru Foundation.

"Whatever it is I'm doing I do because my son was murdered, and he was not able to complete his work," Shakur told CBS. "So as his mother, my whole job and responsibility is to see to it that that happens for him, and I do that with love."

TagsAfeni Shakur, Tupac, hip hop, Black Panther