Mutulu Shakur, Tupac Shakur's stepfather, who was known as a Black liberation activist, has died. He was 72.
An organizer with the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, which supported Mutulu's release in 2022, confirmed his passing in a statement to NBC News. According to Jomo Muhammad, 2Pac's stepfather passed away in his Los Angeles home Friday, surrounded by his family.
Mutulu Shakur's Cause of Death
The published statement revealed that Mutulu died of cancer six months after he was released on parole due to health-related issues. He was supposed to serve 60 years of imprisonment but was diagnosed with the dreaded illness that ultimately led to his death.
The New Afrikan People's Organization and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement released a joint statement to honor Mutulu and remember his works on activism.
"Mutulu's life was transformative to the many people he organized, healed, mentored and inspired," the announcement said. "Dr. Mutulu Shakur taught us that 'people struggle for liberation because they love [the] people.'"
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2Pac's father only served nearly 37 years in prison, the records from the Bureau of Prisons which People obtained said. He was previously denied of request for parole twice - in 2016 and April 2022 - before the US Parole Commission granted it to him to allow him to spend his remaining days with his family.
In its statement cited by the New York Daily News, the parole commission determined that his health deteriorated over the past years due to his stage-3 multiple myeloma diagnosis. They ruled that the condition would make him incapable of committing any type of crime once he was released.
Why Mutulu Shakur Served in Prison Revealed
The authorities arrested Mutulu, who was also previously listed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, in 1986 and convicted him two years later for leading a group of so-called revolutionaries.
Upon his release, Shakur's family penned a statement and shared it on the late musician's website, confirming Mutulu was already with his family.
"This victory was secured by the steadfast support of his legal team, his family and his community comprised of all of you," the statement said, adding, "We ask that everyone respect Dr. Shakur's privacy while he spends the holidays with his family and concentrates on his health and healing."
One of his surviving children, Mopreme Shakur, said in January that the patriarch gained weight a few days after he arrived at his home. He also started receiving treatments based on Western oncology and holistic natural therapies.
