Tupac Shakur
On September 7, 1996, Shakur attended the Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon boxing match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. After the boxing match, Shakur spotted 21 year-old Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, a member of the Southside Crips in the MGM Grand lobby. Shakur rushed him and knocked Anderson down, and Shakur's entourage beat him. The incident was captured on the hotel's video surveillance. Anderson and a group of Crips had beaten up a member of Death Row's entourage in a Foot Locker a few weeks earlier, precipitating Shakur's attack. After the fight with Anderson, Shakur met up with Suge Knight to go to Death Row-owned Club 662 (now known as restaurant/club Seven). Shakur rode with Knight in Knight's 1996 black BMW 750i sedan (Images 1,2), as part of a larger convoy of cars including some of Shakur's friends, The Outlawz, and bodyguards.
At 11:14 P.M., while stopped at the intersection of East Flamingo Road and Koval Lane, Shakur was shot in a drive-by shooting. Shakur was hit four times, twice in the chest, and once each in his arm and thigh, while Knight was scratched in the head by a piece of flying glass.
At the time of the shooting, Shakur was riding alongside with Suge Knight, with his bodyguard following behind in a vehicle belonging to Kidada Jones, Shakur's then-girlfriend. The bodyguard, Frank Alexander, stated that while he was about to ride along with the rapper in Suge Knight's car, Shakur asked him to drive Kidada Jones' car in case they were too drunk and needed additional vehicles from Club 662 back to the hotel. Shortly after the shootings, the bodyguard reported in his documentary, Before I Wake, that one of the convoy's cars drove off after the assailant but he never heard back from the occupants.
After arriving on the scene, police and paramedics took Shakur and Knight to the University Medical Center. Shakur was placed on life support until his death six days later, on September 13, 1996, at 4:03 PM EDT. He was 25 years old. The official cause of death was respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. After his death, Shakur's body was cremated. Family and friends reportedly spread his ashes over the Pacific Ocean near Los Angeles, California.
On March 9, 1997, Wallace was attending the Soul Train Music Awards at the Peterson Automotive Museum on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. Other guests included Busta Rhymes, Heavy D, Da Brat, Aaliyah, Jermaine Dupri, Jagged Edge, Yo Yo, and Sean "Puffy" Combs.
Just after midnight fire marshals shut down the party and Biggie left with his friends in a black GMC Suburban. By 12:45 a.m. the street was crowded with people leaving the event. Biggie's car stopped at a red light just 50 yards from the museum. While waiting for the light to change a black Chevy Impala crept up alongside Biggie's car. The driver of the Chevy rolled down his window and pulled out a gun and shot six to ten bullets into the GMC Suburban, most of which hit Biggie in the chest. While it was believed he was killed almost instantly, he was rushed to a Cedars Sinai Medical Center in downtown Los Angeles and pronounced dead fifteen minutes later.
Freddy Mercury
According to the book Mercury and Me by partner Jim Hutton, Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS in the spring of 1987. Despite his claim to have tested negative for HIV in a 1987 interview, the British press nonetheless stalked the singer during the final years of his life.[21] Although rumours about his health were rampant, he continued to deny that he had AIDS. However, from the video for "These Are the Days of Our Lives," which represents Mercury's last appearance on film, it was clear from his gaunt appearance that he was seriously ill.[22] On November 22, 1991 Mercury called Queen's manager Jim Beach over to his Kensington home to discuss a public statement. The following day, November 23, the following announcement was made to the press:
"Following the enormous conjecture in the press over the last two weeks, I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS. I felt it correct to keep this information private to date to protect the privacy of those around me. However, the time has come now for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope that everyone will join with my doctors and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease. My privacy has always been very special to me and I am famous for my lack of interviews. Please understand this policy will continue."
A little over 24 hours after issuing the statement, Freddie Mercury died at home in the presence of close friends at the age of 45. The official cause of death was bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS.[23][24] Although he had not attended religious services in years, Mercury's funeral was conducted by a Zoroastrian priest. He was cremated at Kensal Green Cemetery and the whereabouts of his ashes are unknown, although some believe them to have been dispersed into Lake Geneva. The remaining members of Queen founded The Mercury Phoenix Trust and organized The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. He left £500 000 to his chef, £500 000 to his personal assistant, £100 000 to his driver and £500 000 to his partner, Jim Hutton. Mary Austin, his life-long friend, inherited the estate and now lives there with her family
DJ Screw
DJ Screw died of a heart attack in 2000. His cause of death was rumoured in the media to be either a codeine overdose or merely the result of long-term buildup of codeine in his system. However, long-time Screwed Up Click member Z-Ro revealed in a 2006 interview that the autopsy performed on DJ Screw revealed a sample of ice (methamphetamine) mixed in with the codeine. Z-Ro, along with other S.U.C. members, has stated that Screw did not use ice, and fully believe that someone within their large group sabotaged Screw by slipping the substance into his codeine one night, leading to his death.