In wake of the tragic death of her son—who was also known as Biggie Smalls—Voletta detailed that she was unexpectedly thrown into the spotlight, and previously scoffed at the preconceived public perception of her. 

"They weren't looking for an intelligent mother, a school-teacher mother,” she told the Pocono Record in 2003. “They were looking for a bum.”

And while Voletta was vocal about her distaste for rap music—and said she was “furious” when B.I.G. told her he wanted to be a rapper—she respected her son’s art. 

“I didn't like it because I didn't know what they were saying, but my son, I knew his words,” she told the Pocono Record. “He could articulate his story. I never liked profanity. I still don't, but I understand what he was saying.”

Voletta is survived by her grandchildren, T’yanna Wallace and C.J. Wallace, Biggie’s respective children with ex Jan Jackson and wife Faith Evans.

The 72-year-old was born in Jamaica and grew up with three siblings before moving to New York, describing her childhood as “wonderful” and “innocent” to the Pocono Record. In her free time, she loved to garden and regularly shared updates on her floral and fauna to social media—in addition to promoting her son’s music. She also often wrote inspirational messages alongside her posts. 

“If life has taught me anything, it’s to keep pushing forward no matter what,” she wrote in a Jan. 2024 Instagram post, “and to keep love in your heart.”