The late Voletta Wallace was laid to rest this week while surrounded by her family, friends, and multiple celebrities who came to pay their respects.
Numerous people close to Biggie Smalls' mother gathered at the Frank Campbell Funeral Chapel in Manhattan on Tuesday, March 11, for Wallace's Celebration of Life. The venue is the same funeral parlor Voletta booked for her son The Notorious B.I.G.'s memorial service following his tragic death in 1997. Wallace's grandchildren, T'yanna & CJ Wallace, and Biggie's widow Faith Evans were in attendance. Other celebrities like Ma$e, Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s Lil' Cease, Lil' Kim and JAY-Z's mother Gloria Carter also attended the service.
Voletta Wallace passed last month in Stroudsburg, Penn. According to Monroe County Coroner Thomas Yanac, she had been in hospice care and died of natural causes. She was 78. Prior to her death, Wallace did everything she could to keep her son's legacy alive. She took over his estate worth $10 million and grew it into an estimated $160 million.
Shortly after Ms. Wallace passed, it was announced that publishing company Primary Wave was close to finalizing a deal to acquire Biggie's name, music and likeness. The publishing rights for The Notorious B.I.G.'s catalog are on sale for $100 million while the master rights are being sold for up to $150 million. Both sets of rights include his legal name and stage name, voice, image, and anything that relates to his timeless music.
Rest in peace, Voletta Wallace.