2Pac Amaru Shakur and Jada Pinkett Smith
The controversial gangsta/intellectual rapper met the aspiring actress while they were both attending the Baltimore School for the Arts.
Pinkett said of their relationship, “Pac was the first one… that… it wasn’t about sex. It was about, ‘You? You’re a beautiful woman. You’re talented. You’re strong. I respect you and you are MY girl! You’re gonna sit right here and I’m gonna protect you! Imma make sure, if nothing else, you get what you need!’ And that’s what our relationship was like. We kind of did that for each other.”
2Pac was tragically shot while in Las Vegas, Nevada. He died from his gunshot wounds on September 13, 1996.
The two had a falling out and weren’t speaking when 2Pac died.
Pinkett iterated, “That was a huge loss in my life, because he was one of those people that I expected to be here,” “My upset is more anger. You know what I’m saying? Because I feel that he left me. And I know that’s not true, and it’s a very selfish way to think about it, but I really did believe that he was going to be here for the long run.”
Pinkett still gets teary-eyed when speaking about her beloved friend.