“We Loved Each Other”: Snoop Dogg’s Final Moments With Tupac Showed What True Brotherhood Means

Snoop Dogg has spent three decades building his legend—an artist, entrepreneur, and cultural icon whose laid-back persona often overshadows the depth of his loyalty. But when he recalls his final moments with Tupac Shakur, the mask drops, revealing a man defined not just by talent, but by love, resilience, and a fierce commitment to those he calls family.

Speaking on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast in 2022, Snoop painted a vivid, heartbreaking picture of September 1996—a time when the East Coast–West Coast rivalry was at its peak, and when his relationship with Tupac had been strained. Days earlier, during a HOT 97 interview with Angie Martinez, Snoop had publicly expressed admiration for New York rappers like The Notorious B.I.G., saying, “I love Biggie and I love Pac — and both of them love me.” Tupac, deeply entrenched in the conflict, saw it as disloyalty. On their flight back to Los Angeles, Snoop said, “Pac and them didn’t talk to me. We were in the same row. It was awkward.”

That silent rift could have been the last note in their friendship. But fate—and tragedy—intervened.

When Snoop heard Tupac had been shot in Las Vegas on September 7, he didn’t hesitate. He rushed first to see Suge Knight, who had been driving the car and was also wounded. Knight tried to reassure him: “Pac gonna be alright… he got shot nine times before.” But the optimism vanished when Snoop walked into Tupac’s hospital room.

“I could feel like he wasn’t even there,” Snoop said. “I fainted.” The sight of his friend, connected to tubes and machines, broke him.

It was Afeni Shakur, Tupac’s mother, who pulled Snoop aside and offered the clarity he needed. “My baby ain’t never seen you weak,” she told him. “I don’t want you to be weak in front of him.” She encouraged him to speak from the heart, to leave tension behind.

Snoop returned to the room and told Tupac what needed to be said: that he loved him. “She gave us a moment for me to say some things to him… but I knew that that was gonna be my last time speaking with him.”

Six days later, on September 13, Tupac died from respiratory failure caused by his injuries.

In the years since, Snoop has found ways to keep their bond alive—performing alongside a hologram of Tupac at Coachella in 2012, incorporating his image into music videos, and speaking openly about the lessons he learned from their friendship.

That moment in the hospital room wasn’t just about reconciliation. It was a reminder that, in the chaos of fame, rivalry, and public perception, love is what endures. “We loved each other,” Snoop said simply.

And in that love, he found the truest definition of brotherhood.

If you want, I can also put together a short companion feature tracing Snoop and Tupac’s most iconic collaborations for context—it would make this piece even more impactful.