After Afeni Shakur’s sudden and unexpected death on Monday night [May 2, 2016] there has been an increase in concern about Tupac’s estate. Before Afeni’s death she was the principle decision maker on behalf of her late son’s estate. One major cause of concern is due to the fact Afeni had just filed for divorce from her husband [Gust Davis] of 12 years in March. Amidst their divorce battle Gust requested to still be able to stay on their 50 acre ranch in North Carolina, to keep his car, and above all else, he requested alimony payments of approximately $10,000 a month which equals half of what Afeni had been receiving on behalf of her son’s estate.
Before Afeni’s death she had been working towards getting the judge to shut down Gust’s alimony requests but unfortunately her death preceded the divorce settlement. In addition, since Afeni did not have a will, her spouse inherits all assets, according to North Carolina state law.
According to Billboard, Afeni’s attorney Howard King stated Tupac’s estate is largely unaffected by his mother’s death and will continue to be overseen by Tom Whalley, former chairman and CEO of Warner Bros and longtime playmaker in ‘Pac’s career. Whalley is said to be the first appointed trustee of Tupac’s estate in 2013 and highly respected among others to handle such a responsibility.
Gobi Rahimi, a close contact to the Shakur family and Tupac’s former production partner, explained how in the past former estate holders did not have Afeni nor Tupac’s best interest at heart and how Whalley is probably the most fit man for the job. He states, ‘Tom is actually someone who cares about Tupac’s legacy” and “Someone who actually had an authentic relationship with Tupac is in a position of power now. Things seem more hopeful and positive than they have in the last 20 years.”
As well all know, there is said to be a plethora of Tupac hits that have yet to be released to the world. Although that sounds very exciting we can only hope that Tupac’s estate is in good hands. For his part, Tom Whalley is yet to release a statement.
