B.I.G. event remembers fallen stars

Six years after rapper Notorious B.I.G. was slain, the grief is still fresh for his mother, Voletta Wallace. “Just the shock of the news, telling me that my son is not breathing ... that pain is unending,” she said.

Her pain was eased in the weeks after her son’s death, however, by the outpouring of support she received from fans and friends, Wallace said.

So she decided to follow that example by honoring mothers of other musicians who died untimely deaths -- Aaliyah, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Tupac Shakur, Jam Master Jay, Big Pun, Big L and Freaky Tah -- at “B.I.G. Night Out,” a New York benefit Tuesday night for the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation. The group, bearing Notorious B.I.G.’s real name, provides educational resources for kids.

“Over the years, they’ve encountered one of the worst tragedies a mother can ever face, and I’m hoping not to put closure to their loss but just to share a little warmth with them,” Wallace said.

From Associated Press