Tupac Shakur’s family is considering filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs as they investigate whether the ex-Bad Boy exec put a $1 million hit on the iconic rapper, Pvnew has exclusively learned.
“People from Diddy’s past are coming forward and providing info,” a source tells us Wednesday.
Reps for Shakur’s relatives and estate did not immediately return Pvnew’s request for comment.
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We previously learned that the family hired high-powered attorneys to investigate this matter.
They have enlisted the help of lawyer Alex Spiro, whose impressive list of celebrity clients includes Elon Musk and Megan Thee Stallion.
Even though it’s been nearly 30 years since Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996, new developments in the case of a man charged with his murder piqued their interest.
Last week, Pvnew reported that former gang leader Duane “Keefe D” Davis suggested in an interview with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police in 2009 that Combs allegedly paid $1 million to have Shakur killed.
“[Davis] has asserted publicly that he only told on himself and wasn’t trying to provide evidence against anyone else in his conversations with police,” a July 18 filing from the Clark County District Attorney’s Office and obtained by Fox5 read.
“However, this statement belies this claim, as he suggested that Sean Combs paid [drug dealer] Eric Von Martin a million dollars for the killings as well as offered to set up a surreptitious phone call with Terrence Brown, the driver, who, at the time, was still alive.”
Combs’ reps and lawyers did not return Pvnew’s repeated requests for comment on those allegations. However, one of his attorneys previously addressed them when another person made similar claims.
In 2003, Kirk Burrowes, the godfather of one of the “Bad Boy for Life” rapper’s sons, claimed in a $25 million lawsuit filed in Manhattan that Combs was “suspected” to have hired Shakur’s shooter.
Lawyer Benjamin Brafman slammed Burrowes’ “entirely baseless” claims at the time, though, stating they were “without merit.” The lawsuit was eventually tossed out.
Former Los Angeles Police Department detective Greg Kading, who had been working on the “Changes” rapper’s murder case, also claimed in his book, “Murder Rap,” that Davis had confessed to Diddy’s ties.
“[Combs] took me downstairs and he’s like, ‘Man, I want to get rid of them dudes,’” the ex-gang member allegedly once told police, per Kading’s findings for his explosive book.
Combs and his collaborators, including The Notorious B.I.G., had been in a heated East Coast-West Coast rap war with Shakur at the time, fueling speculation of his involvement.
Biggie Smalls (real name Christopher Wallace) was also killed shortly after Shakur’s death in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles on March 7, 1997.
However, as an insider previously pointed out to Pvnew, “There is no open or pending investigation, nor is there any new information related to Mr. Combs and these claims.”
Multiple outlets have also confirmed via law enforcement sources that the “I Need a Girl” rapper has never been named as a suspect in Shakur’s case.
Combs’ rep declined to comment when Pvnew reached out regarding news about Shakur’s family possibly suing him.
The “Last Night” rapper is also facing several sexual misconduct lawsuits at this time — although he has denied all the claims leveled against him.
He is also the subject of an ongoing federal investigation after his homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided due to allegations of sex trafficking, money laundering and illegal drugs.
