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Director Lauren Lazin and producer Afeni Shakur (right) pose at the afterparty for "Tupac: Resurrection" at the Sunset Room in Los Angeles, Nov. 4, 2003. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Afeni Shakur, the mother of legendary rapper 2Pac (aka Tupac Shakur), died Monday night at her home in Northern California, according to local authorities. She was 69.

The cause of her death was not immediately clear, but law enforcement arrived at Shakur's home in Sausalito Monday night after having been alerted to someone in the residence possibly suffering from a heart attack. She was pronounced dead at 10:28 p.m. PDT, less than an hour after authorities arrived.

The Marin County Coroner's Office is expected to launch an investigation into the official cause of Afeni Shakur's death.

The death was first reported by local TV news station KTVU and later confirmed by the Marin County Sheriff's Office.

Shakur, a former member of the Black Panthers movement that began in the Bay Area, was set to be depicted on the big screen as part of an upcoming biopic about her late son, a multi-platinum recording artist who rapped under the name 2Pac, as well as an accomplished actor. He was just 25 when he was killed by gunfire on the Las Vegas strip in 1996.

Shakur had established the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation to preserve the legacy of her son, and she was generally seen as the gatekeeper for all things 2Pac. That issue came into play late last month after she filed for divorce from her husband, leading some to speculate that at least a portion of 2Pac's massive fortune (at least $100 million) could be given to her spouse.

The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation offers education and arts programs, including a summer camp, for at-risk youth.

Afeni Shakur was immortalized by her rapper son in his 1995 song "Dear Mama."

Shakur gave birth to her legendary son while she was incarcerated as part of the so-called New York 21 -- members of the Black Panthers party who were accused of planning attacks on New York City police stations. She was ultimately acquitted a little more than a month after Tupac was born.

She is survived by her daughter, Seyiwa Shakur, and her husband, North Carolina minister Gust Davis, who TMZ reported prior to her death was seeking alimony and property.

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