Voletta Wallace, the mother of late rapper The Notorious B.I.G, has died. She was 78.

Wallace died at her home in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, of natural causes after spending time in hospice care, the local coroner told The Associated Press.

Wallace was an outspoken advocate for her son, born Christopher Wallace, and his legacy after he died in a shooting in 1997. The case remains unsolved.

In a particularly memorable public appearance, she attended the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, which took place roughly six months after Biggie died.

She accepted an award he won for “Hypnotize” and noted that if her son were there, he’d say, “big-up to Brooklyn.”

Though she initially called her son’s music “noise,” she told The Associated Press that when she listened to his songs, she understood his gifts.

“I cried so much that day just listening to the music,” she said. “I remember I sat,...