Tupac Shakur’s Stepfather Mutulu Shakur: Is He Still Alive?

Mutulu Shakur was an American activist and a member of the Black Liberation Army, sentenced to sixty years in prison for his involvement in a 1981 robbery of a Brinks armored truck in which a guard and two police officers were murdered.

Shakur was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list after the heist. He remained on the run until he was arrested in Los Angeles in 1986.

Mutulu Shakur Biography 

Mutulu was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on August 8, 1950, as Jeral Wayne Williams. At age seven he moved to Jamaica, Queens, New York City with his mother, who was blind, and younger sister. By his late teens, Mutulu Shakur was politically active with the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM) and later joined the Black nationalist organization Republic of New Afrika. 

In 1973, Shakur married Afeni Shakur, the mother of the late rapper Tupac Shakur. The couple had two children together, Mopreme Shakur and Sekyiwa Shakur.

Mutulu Shakur Brinks Robbery 

In 1981, Shakur was involved in the robbery of a Brinks armored truck in Nyack, New York. During the robbery, a security guard and two police officers were killed. Shakur was arrested and charged with murder, robbery, and weapons possession. He was convicted in 1988 and sentenced to 60 years in prison.

Shakur remained in prison for more than 36 years, until he was granted compassionate release in November 2022 due to his declining health. He spent his remaining days in Southern California with his family, and he died on July 6, 2023, at the age of 72.

Mutulu Shakur Cause Of Death

Mutulu Shakur, the stepfather of late legendary rapper Tupac Shakur died on Thursday (July 6), at the age of 72. He died at his home in Southern California after a long illness. His death was confirmed by his family on Instagram.

“Our beloved Mutulu joined the ancestors this morning at home with family. Please bless him on his path and we will share more soon. Rest in power and love.”

Mutulu Shakur’s death came just a few months after he was released from prison after serving over 30 years for his alleged role in the 1981 Brinks robbery. He had been denied parole several times but was granted a compassionate release in November 2022 due to his bone marrow cancer diagnosis.

Mutulu Shakur Release Date

In May 2022, a Bureau of Prisons doctor revealed Mutulu had less than six months to live. It wasn’t until after a hearing last October that the federal parole commission admitted that Shakur posed zero risk to society. He’d previously made the request for release at least 10 times, held a clean institutional record, and was considered a mentor to many. 

Who Is Tupac’s Biological Father?

Tupac Shakur’s biological father is William Jefferson “Billy” Garland. He was a member of the Black Panther Party and had a relationship with Afeni Shakur, Tupac’s mother, in the late 1960s. Garland and Afeni had a brief relationship, and Tupac was born in 1971. However, Garland was not involved in Tupac’s life growing up. You can read more about Billy Garland here.