Voletta Wallace, the devoted mother of legendary rapper, The Notorious B.I.G. and a tireless guardian of his legacy, passed away on Friday, 21 February 2025.
She died at the age of 78.
Our findings show that Voletta Wallace passed away in her Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania home, under hospice care. The Monroe County coroner confirmed her passing, though no official cause of death was disclosed.
Voletta Wallace Was A Reluctant Public Figure Turned Fierce Advocate
Born in Jamaica on 3 February 1953, Voletta Wallace immigrated to the United States, where she raised her son, Christopher Wallace — famously known as The Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls — in Brooklyn. After his tragic murder in 1997, she was completely broken and shattered. She mourned her son for a long time and struggled to find closure.
However, she eventually transformed her grief into purpose, determined to preserve his memory while advocating for justice and supporting underserved communities.
It is noteworthy that before the world knew her as the mother of a hip-hop icon, Voletta Wallace was a preschool teacher. She didn’t like fame and was okay staying out of the spotlight even though her son was one of the biggest hip hop acts at the time.
However, Biggie’s death in a Los Angeles drive-by shooting in 1997 thrust her into the public eye. Just two weeks after his passing, his sophomore album, “Life After Death”, was released, solidifying his status as one of rap’s greatest artists.
Later that year, Wallace accepted an MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video on her son’s behalf. During the acceptance, she declared:
“I know if my son was here tonight, the first thing he would’ve done is say big up to Brooklyn.”
Despite her profound loss, Voletta Wallace used her platform to make sure she fostered positive change all around her. Through the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation, she launched initiatives like B.I.G. Night Out (Books Instead of Guns), promoting literacy as a pathway to safer communities.
She once said:
“All I want to do is put a book into a child’s hand. Books do not kill. But weapons do.”
Voletta Wallace Was Known For Her Relentless Pursuit of Justice
Voletta Wallace was known for her dedication to justice. She dedicated years to seeking answers about her son’s death, which remains unsolved to this day.
In 2002, alongside Biggie’s widow, singer Faith Evans, she filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department, alleging a cover-up of law enforcement involvement in the murder. The case ended in a mistrial, but Wallace’s fight for truth never wavered.
Although the case was eventually dismissed in 2010, her resolve remained unshaken. “The family only wanted justice to be done,” the estate’s attorney stated at the time.
She Was All About Honoring Biggie’s Legacy in Pop Culture
The courtroom was not the only place where she was active. We know this because, beyond the courtroom, Voletta Wallace ensured that her son’s story was told authentically.
In fact, she served as a producer on the 2009 biopic Notorious, coaching actor Jamal Woolard, who portrayed Biggie, and was featured in the 2021 documentary Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell.
Wallace often shared anecdotes about raising Biggie in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, where she played country music legends like Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson at home — sounds that influenced her son’s storytelling style.
“I love my country music,” she said. “And he listened to it all with me because he had no other choice.”
Voletta Wallace’s Legacy Will Live On
During her lifetime, Voletta Wallace outlived her son by nearly three decades, however, she never stopped honoring his name.
She remained a public figure, balancing grace with unwavering honesty — even criticizing longtime family friend Sean “Diddy” Combs amid his recent legal controversies.
Her resilience, compassion, and determination left an indelible mark on the music industry and beyond. Voletta Wallace didn’t just protect her son’s legacy — she also built her own.
