On this day in 1996, rapper turned actor Tupac Shakur passed away after being shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas a week prior.
As reported by XXL, Shakur was declared dead after his body started hemorrhaging blood and doctors were unable to stop the internal bleeding. The rapper's mother, Afeni Shakur, reportedly ordered doctors to stop operating after blood loss became too severe.
He was soon declared dead after living seven days in a medically-induced coma.
Following an autopsy, his official cause of death was noted as respiratory failure and cardiopulmonary arrest in connection with multiple gunshot wounds. Tupac's body was cremated the very next day.
He was just 25 years old and his murder remains unsolved.
Pac kick started his career as a background dancer for the Oakland-based hip-hop collective Digital Underground. He went on to star in films including Juice, Poetic Justice and Above The Rim.
Tupac's successful music career was highlighted by a victorious run with Death Row Records.
Since his death, Pac has sold over 75 million records worldwide making him one of the most commercially successful musicians of all-time. His discography features some of hip-hop's most enduring records including "California Love," "I Get Around," "Hail Mary," "Dear Mama" and countless others.
Back in May, former Death Row label head Suge Knight made some outlandish statements claiming that Tupac is still alive.
"You'll have a mothaf---a walk down the street and say 'Suge Knight killed Tupac.' When everybody know off the top I ain't the n---a that killed Tupac. I'm the n---a that protected Tupac," Knight told TMZ. "But at the same time b---h a-- Puffy can get him a mothaf---in star and every rat in the world say he's the one who killed Tupac, or had him shot. You get what I mean? But if you noticed it was a rat on television saying he the one did the shooting. This happened, that happened, this happened, that happened, right? If you think about it, right? Why you think nobody been arrested if they said they the one killed Tupac ... Because Tupac not dead. Tupac not dead, n---a. If he was dead they'd be arresting those dudes for murder. You know he somewhere smoking a Cuban cigar on an island somewhere."
