News of September 13, 1996
Tupac Shakur Dies Six Days After the Shooting
4:03 p.m. at University Medical Center: On September 13, 1996, Tupac Shakur died at 25. Radio stations in Los Angeles immediately played his songs.
Tupac Shakur died on Friday, September 13, 1996, at 4:03 p.m. at University Medical Center in Las Vegas. He was 25 years old. A hospital spokesperson cited respiratory failure and cardiopulmonary arrest as the cause; six days earlier, he had been struck by at least four bullets.
Phones That Did Not Stop Ringing
As soon as the news was confirmed, hip-hop stations in Los Angeles played his records and aired tributes. Jesse Jackson, who had prayed at the bedside with Afeni Shakur the previous Sunday, said by phone that the pull of violence had not let Tupac go.
The scale of sympathy could be seen at the hospital switchboard: normally, 2,000 to 3,000 calls came in per day, but during the week Tupac was in the intensive care unit, there were up to 10,000 on some days. Even after his death, fans continued to call to offer condolences or ask about the funeral.
What the doctors determined and what the autopsy revealed can be found on the page Injuries, Cause of Death and Autopsy.