A 1995 letter from deceased rapper Tupac Shakur reveals that he and Madonna had a fling—and that he broke up with her for a shocking reason.
In the handwritten letter unveiled by the entertainment site TMZ, while in prison, Tupac penned the following lines, addressed to the Queen of Pop: “I must apologize to you because like you said I haven’t been the kind of friend I know I am capable of being.”
“For you to be seen with a black man wouldn’t in any way jeopardize your career; if anything it would make you seem that much more open and exciting.”
“But for me at least in my previous perception I felt due to my ‘image’ I would be letting down half of the people who made me what I thought I was. I never meant to hurt you.”
He further wrote, “I have grown both spiritually and mentally. It no longer matters how I am perceived. Please understand my previous position as that of a young man with limited experience with [an] extremely famous sex symbol.”
He then offered his “friendship once again this time much stronger and focused.”
He also asked if she could visit him in prison: “I would love to speak face to face with you. It’s funny but this experience has taught me to not take time for granted.”
At that time, Tupac was serving a nine-month sentence for a sexual assault case. On September 13, 1996, he died from injuries sustained at a drive-by shooting.
Madonna only made their relationship public in 2015 on the Howard Stern radio show. Last June 17, Madonna commemorated the rapper on his birthday:
A post shared by Madonna (@madonna) on
The note will be auctioned at the Gotta Have Rock and Roll pop culture auction, with the starting bid at $100,000 (over P5 million). Niña V. Guno/JB
RELATED STORIES:
Tupac Shakur: The legacy lives on
Madonna attends preview of Tupac B’way musical