Jada Pinkett Smith spoke of the devastating moment that she was handed Tupac Shakur’s ashes in a ‘little cardboard box’.
The music legend died at the age of 25 on September 7, 1996, following a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.
The Scream 2 actress famously had a close friendship with the All Eyez On Me rapper before his death, and previously described him as her ‘soulmate’.
In a candid new interview, the 52-year-old opened up about his tragic death, and being left with rage at the way Suge Knight delivered his remains.
‘Having to receive Pac’s ashes in that way was a really devastating moment,’ she told Extra. ‘To just get him in this little cardboard box.
‘I was very rageful about the whole thing.’
The late musician died in 1996 (Picture: WireImage)
However, Pinkett Smith was quick to squash the rumors that there was anything romantic between them, insisting that her use of ‘soulmate’ was meant in a platonic way.
‘On the internet, there’s been a whole lot of things about me calling Tupac my soulmate, and I think people regard soulmate just in a romantic way,’ she continued.
‘Soulmates aren’t just romantic. Pac and I were not romantic, but he is a soulmate. I know I will see him again.’
The pair both met as youngsters while attending the Baltimore School of the Arts in Maryland, and went on to forge a friendship.
She insisted that there was nothing romantic between them (Picture: Twitter)
Their bond continued into adulthood – with Pinkett Smith’s husband, Will Smith, previously sharing his jealousy over the late musician.
In an interview with Charlamagne Tha God on the Breakfast Club in 2020, he admitted that he refused to interact with Shakur out of envy.
‘That was in the early days,’ he said. ‘That was a big regret for me too because I could never open up to interact with Pac.
‘We had a little bit of a thing because they grew up together and they loved each other but they never had a sexual relationship.
Will Smith previously revealed his jealousy over their bond (Picture: WireImage)
‘Pac had a little thing on that but she just loved him. He was the image of perfection but she was with the Fresh Prince.’
‘We were in the room together a couple of times and I couldn’t speak to him,’ he added. ‘He wasn’t going to speak to me if I wasn’t going to speak to him.’
‘That was a huge regret of mine and I couldn’t handle it. I was the soft rapper from Philly and he was Pac,’ he concluded.
‘I was deeply insecure and wasn’t man enough to handle that relationship.’
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