Assata Shakur, Black liberation icon and Tupac Shakur’s godmother, dies at 78 in Cuba

Black liberation activist and the godmother of pioneering rapper Tupac Shakur, Assata Shakur, passed away in Havana, at the age of 78 on September 25, 2025. Tupac described his step-aunt and godmother on his 1991 track Words of Wisdom's outro as "America's Nightmare".

Assata Shakur, Black liberation icon and Tupac’s godmother, dies at 78 in Havana

On his 1991 debut album 2Pacalypse Now, Tupac references Assata Shakur in the outro of Words of Wisdom, which served as a critique of systemic oppression. Tupac often credited his family, including Assata, for shaping his political outlook.

The same woman who was on the FBI's "Most Wanted Terrorists" list for years, after she escaped in 1979 from a New Jersey women's prison, had a massive influence on the Black liberation movement. Assata died from age-related ailments.

Born JoAnne Deborah Byron in 1947, Assata also known as Joanne Chesimard, was a member of the Black Liberation Army, who was granted political asylum in Cuba. She faced multiple charges, including first-degree murder and assaulting a police officer.

Although sentenced to life in prison, she escaped in November 1979 and spent several years in hiding before arriving in Cuba, where she was granted political asylum in 1984.

"I have been a political activist most of my life, and although the U.S. government has done everything in its power to criminalize me, I am not a criminal, nor have I ever been one," Assata wrote in an open letter once.

She added that she had no choice but to flee "from the political repression, racism and violence that dominate the U.S. government’s policy toward people of color". She also added that she was falsely accused in six different “criminal cases,” and in all of them, she was eventually acquitted or the charges were dismissed due to lack of evidence.

Her 1988 memoir, Assata: An Autobiography, inspired many. In fact, the foreword by political activist Angela Davis, describes Assata as "compassionate human being with an unswerving commitment to justice".

Tupac was murdered in September 13, 1996, after being shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was rushed to the hospital, but he died from internal bleeding and respiratory failure, at the age of 25.

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.