Today In Music History: Notorious B.I.G. Murdered On March 9, 1997

Today is the 13th anniversary of the Notorious B.I.G.'s death.

Biggie (real name Christopher Wallace) had just left a Soul Train Music Awards after-party in Los Angeles and was travelling back to his hotel with Damion "D-Roc" Butler, Lil Cease of Junior M.A.F.I.A. and Gregory "G-Money" Young. Sean "Puffy" Combs was following in another vehicle, and the cars were being followed by Bad Boy Records' security.

But something went wrong when Biggie's GMC Suburban stopped at a red light. A Chevrolet Impala pulled up next to the truck and opened fire, shooting Biggie in the chest. He was pronounced dead in hospital just half an hour later. He was just 24 years old.

Biggie's murder is still unsolved. Some have suggested the a branch of the Crips could have killed him, while others, like author Randall Sullivan, theorize that Marion "Suge" Knight conspired with the Los Angeles Police Department to make the murders of both Biggie and Tupac Shakur (who was murdered almost six months earlier) look like a rap rivalry. None of those claims have ever been proven in court.

Biggie's relatives sued the Los Angeles Police Department for wrongful death, saying they had enough evidence to arrest Biggie's killer but did not. The case was declared a mistrial in 2006, and the Wallace family filed a second wrongful death suit in 2007. Although that was dismissed later that year, it was reinstated in 2008.