How to Eazy-E die? 'Eric Wright, 31, Rap's Eazy-E, Recently Disclosed He Had AIDS'

A headline following the death of Eazy-E in 1995.

Eric 'Eazy-E' Wright was officially pronounced dead from complications related to AIDS, specifically AIDS-induced pneumonia, on March 26th, 1995. But how did Eazy-East really die? Here's a closer look at the unresolved questions surrounding the rapper's death.

It was more shocking than whatsoever gangsta rap lyric could ever be. On March 17th, 1995, ane of the biggest figures of gangsta rap announced that he had contracted AIDS. Suddenly, in one stunning moment, Eazy-E's aura of invisibility and power came crashing down.

At a Hollywood news conference, Eazy-E's attorney and friend, Ron Sweeney, shared the grim news with the globe.  Sweeney unfolded a crinkled piece of paper, and in a somber tone, offered the statement of fact.  "I'm not religious, simply correct or wrong, that'southward me," Sweeney read, relaying a message written by the rapper.

"I'm not saying this considering I'1000 looking for a soft absorber wherever I'm heading. Just I've got thousands of young fans that have to learn about what's existent when it comes to AIDS. I've learned in the last week that this thing is real and it doesn't discriminate. It affects everyone."

Less than 10 days later, Eazy-Due east passed away.

Simply two decades after his decease, Eric 'Eazy-E' Wright remains one of the nigh controversial rappers in history.  Called the 'Godfather of Gangsta Rap,' Eazy-E reshaped hip-hop, starting with N.W.A.  Other successful rappers, including Bone Thugs N' Harmony, owe their start to Wright.

The listing also includes Kendrick Lamar, who has cited Eazy-East every bit an important influence.

The public both loved and loathed Eazy-East, with extremely fierce and misogynistic lyrics cartoon criticism.  Merely without Eazy-E, the rap earth might await essentially dissimilar today.  In fact, we may have never heard of rappers like Dr. Dre and Water ice Cube.  And the trajectory of 'gangsta rap' would have been entirely different.

Despite existence mired in controversy, Eazy-E's legacy remains massive.  Simply while he was alive, Eazy-E's life resembled a war zone.  The rapper had unsafe beefs involving rival members of North.W.A, most notably Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.  Those eventually ebbed, though the list of other sworn (and armed) enemies was extensive.

Simply put, a lot of people wanted Eazy-E expressionless.  Others had outright threatened to murder the Compton rapper.  And like many high-profile gangsta rappers, the threat of death and violence constantly hovered.  It came with the lifestyle.

So how did Eazy-E really die?

Eazy-E'south daughter, Ebie Wright, has been attempting to answer that very question.  Terminal month, she started raising funds to launch a serious investigation into this issue.Ebie just disagrees with the long-held belief that Eric Wright contracted AIDS through unprotected sex.  And many in the hip-hop world agree.

In September of this year, Ebie Wright initiated a Kickstarter campaign seeking $250,000 to investigate the real story.  The documentary, titled A Ruthless Scandal: No More Lies, aimed to unravel a conspiracy around Wright'southward death.  "Now I know yous're all thinking.  Didn't Eazy-Eastward die of AIDS?" Wright stated on her pitch video. "And then what scandal was there, right?'"

"Well, if he did die of AIDS, why was in that location so much cover up surrounding the details of his death?"

What were the elements of the cover-up?  In the video, Ebie laid out the following issues, all of which suggest a coordinated effort.

  1. The AIDS diagnosis was revealed just 3 weeks before Eazy-East's death.
  2. The rapper was sequestered in a remote ward of the infirmary, with most unable to visit.
  3. Eazy-E'due south attorney of just ii months drafted a will while the rapper lay on his deathbed.
  4. A 'secret marriage' was bundled merely 12 days before Eazy'southward decease.
  5. I week before Eazy'southward death, Wright's estate was looted of valuable possessions.
  6. After Eric Wright's expiry, ane person walked away with everything, according to Ebie.  That's most probable a reference to Tomika Woods-Wright, who married Eazy-E moments before his death.

All of which suggests a coordinated set on by a group hostile to Eazy-E.  And, a coalition that stood to gain from the rapper Eazy'due south death.

Magic Johnson survived AIDS. So why did Eazy-E dice so apace?

Eric Wright's death was astoundingly quick, even for someone suffering from the virus in the 1990s.  Fans were quick to contrast Eazy's fate to that of Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, who was found carrying HIV in 1991.  After discovering the virus in November of that year, Johnson told the world and retired from the Los Angeles Lakers.

Simply Magic was withal live nearly four years later.  Of form, he'southward still live today.  Even Arthur Ashe carried HIV for more than five years before passing away in February of 1993.  So how is information technology possible that Eazy-East succumbed to the affliction so speedily?  According to Ebie, the short window fuels suspicions of a murder.

Merely how?

One longtime theory is that the conspirators used a purposeful, lethal injection.  That includes the conventionalities that Eazy-E was injected with HIV after suffering a motorbike blow.  "I think they were giving him tainted needles with the AIDS virus through acupuncture," said Frost, a Ruthless rapper.  "Because how else could somebody die that fast of AIDS?"

"Take you even heard of somebody dying in two weeks of AIDS bro? Come on, homo. It's unheard of, bro."

Hither's the interview with Frost, which offers a telling revelation from someone close to the situation.  Frost was part of the documentary,For The Record: The Story of Latinos in Hip Hop.

Merely is Frost'southward theory plausible?  Wilmore Webley, a microbiologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, argues that acupuncture rarely punctures securely enough to inject HIV.  On pinnacle of that, the needles themselves probably couldn't carry enough blood to transmit the disease.

Merely that is only 1 possible theory.  A malicious injection may have been the existent murder weapon.  And it's only as deadly as a gun.  Only who administered the poison?

Suge Knight: Eazy-Eastward Assassin?

Marquis Wright, aka Yung Eazy, has a different idea. The rapper Eazy's surviving son alleges that Suge Knight coordinated the murder, and even bragged about it.  Marquis cited a contempo interview betwixt the notoriously violent rap manager and Jimmy Kimmel:

"This the new matter, correct?  And then, if somebody gonna practice something to somebody, technology is so high, right?  So, you lot shoot somebody, you get to jail forever," Knight said. "Kids, you lot don't want to get to jail forever, right?  So, they got this new affair out, people sell 'em all the fourth dimension.  They get this stuff they call — they get blood from somebody with AIDS.And then they shoot you with information technology.  That'southward the ho-hum decease."

Suspicions yet run deep in this case, with others suspecting a coordinated conspiracy to murder the famous (and wealthy) rapper.  Jerry Heller, former manager of N.W.A and a longtime confidant of Eric Wright, has openly questioned the quick decease.  "Do I think that something fishy happened to Eazy? Absolutely," Heller stated in an interview before dying himself.  "I don't believe that someone who had as much money as nosotros did, and could afford whatever Magic Johnson could…

"How did Eazy-E dice?  I don't believe that he could have mayhap died that quickly from full blown AIDS."

Eazy E Memorial

A street art memorial dedicated to Eazy-Due east in the Netherlands.

AIDS: It doesn't impale like that.

Others agree, noting that AIDS simply doesn't kill that speedily.  Eazy-Eastward only went besides fast, with as well few symptoms.  Among the leading skeptics are rapper B.Yard. Knocc Out, who collaborated with Eazy-Eastward in the years leading upward to his death.  Most notably, B.G. appeared on the Eazy-East track, "Real Muthaphuckkin G's," released in 1993.

B.G. too toured and recorded with Wright during that menstruum.  And according to B.Yard., Eric Wright appeared healthy for well-nigh of the last three years of his life.  "I believe in my eye somebody did something to Eric," B.G. told Hip Hop DX.

"Whether it was Jerry [Heller], whether information technology was [his widow] Tomica [Wood-Wright], I have nonetheless to really know the truth."

B.G. has witnessed the illness firsthand, and noticed some glaring discrepancies.  "My fiddling blood brother, his male parent died from full-blown AIDS," B.G. continued.  "From sharing a needle, considering he was an addict.  At present, I've seen this man go through these stages, from HIV to full-blown AIDS.  And, when you get a cold, any trivial thing like that, your whole allowed organisation shuts downwardly.  And then you have to become into the hospital just to recover."

"Who are yous kidding?"

Compared to Eazy-Eastward, information technology just doesn't make sense.  The symptoms and overall timeframe were glaringly different.  "At present, I was around Eric for the last three years of his life.  He never had an episode like this — never, ever.  So something is strange.  Then, you're going to tell me that when this human being goes in in that location for bronchitis, he has full-diddled AIDS?"

"We'd been to New York, we'd been to Chicago in below-zero weather.  He never got sick.  He never had an episode.  Similar, c'mon. Who are yous kidding?"

After the diagnosis, B.G. visited the rapper on this deathbed.  Merely visitation restrictions were quickly increased, while the rapper was relocated.  Before long, information technology became impossible to visit anymore.   All of which augments data from Ebie, who pointed to a sequestered location inside the hospital.  That relocation may have been created to keep others out

But who were the conspirators? And what really happened?

Problematically, these events transpired more than than twenty years ago.  And that makes information technology incredibly difficult to unearth records and communications pertinent to the example.  Authorities similar the LAPD accept not followed whatsoever leads, and this example has long gone cold.  Statutes of limitations also showtime to apply after longer periods of time, making this an incredibly difficult undertaking.

Another major complication is the death of Heller himself, who recently passed at age 75.  Heller undoubtedly had noesis and resources to properly pursue this matter.  Just Ebie indicated that a number of Wright'south older associates are at present willing to speak out.  Many of those come from within the hip-hop community.

In the end, Ebie asserts that this was a murder, not an accidental death.  And she aims to testify that in the motion-picture show.  "I don't believe the explanation is as simple equally 'my father had AIDS and died'," Ebie explained.

"There was definitely something fishy about it.  This was murder by AIDS.  I really believe that."

"There are and so many rumors, and so many stories, and crazy conspiracy theories out in that location," Ebie continued.  "But everyone has come to their ain determination, without knowing all of the facts that this documentary will reveal."

Update: Afterward an Initial Failure, Ebie Restarts Kickstarter Campaign.

Despite trying to heighten $250,000 for the investigation, Ebie's campaign just raised $ii,850.  Only 63 backers participated. That is roughly one-per centum of the overall goal, and non enough to finance a serious probe.

Undeterred, Ebie has at present re-started the campaign.  The Game has as well stepped in to endorse the effort, which could assist the initiative.  "Yo…. I want everyone to know I'1000 supporting Eazy's daughter Ebie'southward Kickstarter campaign to produce her documentary, "A Ruthless Scandal".  Information technology's about her father Eazy-E's death," the Game offered on his Instagram.  "It's a super important documentary to her and she's likewise doing it for Eazy's fans!  Y'all know I got love for Eazy so let's get some pledges on her Kickstarter and raise this 100k."

Equally of October 23rd, the re-started Kickstarter entrada has only raised $1,160, with 52 days to go.