Afeni Shakur in Atlanta in 2011. Photo: AP

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

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Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

BY JEWEL WICKER

More than 18,000 tweets with the hashtag "Dear Mama" have been posted in the last few hours.

Shortly after reports of the death of Afeni Shakur-Davis, mother of late rapper Tupac Shakur, surfaced, the hashtag began trending on Twitter.

"Dear Mama" served as the lead single for Shakur's 1995 album "Me Against the World." The song detailed the mother and son's rocky relationship, Shakur-Davis' drug addiction and Tupac's appreciation for her.

"And even as a crack fiend, mama, you always was a black queen, mama. I finally understand. For a woman, it ain't easy trying to raise a man," Tupac rapped.

The single was a one of Tupac's biggest hits, peaking at no. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song usually resurfaces around Mother's Day each year, but news of Shakur-Davis' death makes revisiting the popular single bittersweet.

In 1997, Tupac was shot multiple times after leaving an event in Las Vegas. The 25-year-old died six days later. His killing remains unsolved.

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