Voletta Wallace, mother of hip-hop legend The Notorious B.I.G., has passed away at the age of 78.

She died in the early hours of Friday at her home in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, according to Monroe County officials. 

While initially dismissive of her son’s music—once referring to it as “noise”—Wallace became a driving force in preserving his legacy after his tragic death in 1997. She founded the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation, an organisation dedicated to providing educational resources for children.

In 2003, she paid tribute to the mothers of other musicians who lost their lives prematurely—Aaliyah, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Tupac Shakur, Jam Master Jay, Big Pun, Big L, and Freaky Tah—during “B.I.G. Night Out,” a benefit event for the foundation.

Wallace also took legal action to seek justice for her son. In 2004, she dropped a wrongful-death lawsuit against Amir Muhammad, also known as Harry Billups, who was previously suspected in the rapper’s slaying.

Her son, The Notorious B.I.G., remains one of the most celebrated figures in hip-hop history. With two posthumous albums released, his certified United States sales have surpassed 28 million copies, including 21 million albums. Rolling Stone once hailed him as the “greatest rapper that ever lived.” In 2020, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, cementing his influence on music and culture.