Suggest

We celebrate the self-awareness, empathy, and wisdom of women in midlife.

Death

Notorious B.I.G.’s Mom Voletta Wallace Has Died

CultureCelebs
By Craig Garrett
February 22, 2025 | 10:21 a.m. CST
notorious-b-i-g-s-mom-voletta-wallace-has-died
Getty Images / chuchart duangdaw

Voletta Wallace, the mother of the prolific rapper Notorious B.I.G., has passed away. She was 78.

Videos by Suggest

Wallace died while in hospice care at her home in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Her death from natural causes was confirmed by the Monroe County Coroner’s Office in a statement to Variety.

Born in Jamaica, Voletta and Biggie’s father, Selwyn George, moved to Brooklyn, where they raised their son Christopher. However, when Biggie was just two years old, Selwyn left the family, leaving Voletta, a preschool teacher, to raise her son on her own.

Wallace played a pivotal role in her son’s music, with the rapper (born Christopher Wallace) often referencing her in his work. She was mentioned in several songs, including his 1994 hits “Juicy” and “Things Done Changed.” Voletta also appeared in the music video for “Juicy” in 1994.

After the tragic death of her only child, Biggie, in a 1997 shooting, Voletta dedicated herself to preserving his legacy by managing his music and estate, worth around $160 million. She worked to ensure the estate’s earnings were passed on to Biggie’s children, T’yanna Wallace and C.J. Wallace.

Voletta Wallace’s Major First Public Appearance was in the Wake of Her Son’s Tragic Death

In her first major public appearance since her son’s tragic murder six months earlier, she delivered a heartfelt and bittersweet speech while accepting the MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video on his behalf.

“Thank you. I know if my son was here tonight, the first thing he would have done is say… big up to Brooklyn,” she told the assembled crowd.

Meanwhile, in 2005, she published a memoir titled Biggie: Voletta Wallace Remembers Her Son, Christopher Wallace, also known as Notorious B.I.G. She also worked as a producer on the 2009 Biggy biopic Notorious. Angela Bassett brought her to life on screen.

In September 2024, when Biggie’s music surpassed an incredible 2.5 billion all-time plays on Apple Music, Voletta took to Instagram to celebrate the milestone and express her gratitude to fans.

In her final Instagram post in December, she highlighted another achievement: Biggie’s millions of listeners on Spotify. Now, the post has become a gathering place for fans to mourn the passing of Wallace.

“Rest in peace, Ms. Wallace. You birthed one of the greatest MCs. Now you can rest with him,” one comment read.

“We won’t forget you. Thank you for bringing Biggie into this world and keeping his legacy alive. It’s now our job to make sure you’re both eternalized,” another mourner penned.