Voletta Wallace, the devoted mother of iconic 1990s rapper The Notorious B.I.G., has sadly passed away in hospice care at the age of 78. Biggie Smalls, born Christopher Wallace, was a much respected hip hop artist before he was tragically killed in a 1997 drive-by shooting at just 24. His legacy has never been forgotten, in no small part due to his mother, who managed his estate and upheld his memory. When Biggie was killed, his estate was valued at an estimated $10 million; by the time of Wallace’s passing, it has reportedly grown to $160 million.

Voletta produced Notorious, her son's critically acclaimed 2009 biopic, in which she was portrayed by Angela Bassett. Voletta spoke passionately about her only son in the 2002 documentary Biggie & Tupac, directed by British director Nick Broomfield. She even played herself opposite Johnny Depp in the film City Of Lies which was based on the unsolved murder of her son and fellow hip hop titan Tupac Shakur.

Voletta passed away Friday morning of natural causes in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, as confirmed by the Monroe County Coroner. There has been some confusion regarding her age—while multiple outlets initially reported she was 72, the coroner’s official statement confirmed she was 78.

Wallace’s death comes months after her candid remarks about Sean “Diddy” Combs, who remains incarcerated while facing multiple allegations, including sexual assault. Biggie was the first artist signed to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records in 1993. Reports suggest he was considering leaving the label before his murder. In a Rolling Stone interview last year, Wallace did not hold back when asked about the wave of allegations against Diddy. "I hope that I see Sean one day, and the only thing I want to do is slap the daylights out of him. And you can quote me on that." She went on to express her deep disappointment, saying, “I liked him. I didn’t want to believe all the awful things, but I’m so ashamed and embarrassed.”

Wallace also reacted to the shocking leaked footage of Diddy assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a 2016 hotel incident. “I’m praying for Cassie. I’m praying for his mother. I don’t want to believe the things that I’ve heard, but I’ve seen [the video]. I pray that he apologizes to her,” she said. Voletta Wallace is survived by her granddaughter, T’yanna Wallace, and her grandson, Christopher “CJ” Wallace Jr. T’yanna is Biggie’s daughter from a previous relationship, while CJ is his son with singer Faith Evans.