Alleged Tupac Shakur Hospital Photos Debunked as Fake by Former Attorney

Images purportedly showing Tupac Shakur’s final days in a Las Vegas hospital have been conclusively debunked as forgeries by the late rapper’s own attorney. The controversial photos, which began circulating on social media in December 2025, contain multiple inconsistencies that reveal them to be fabrications rather than authentic documentation of the hip-hop icon’s final days.

David Kenner, who served as both Death Row Records’ legal counsel and Shakur’s personal lawyer during the period, examined the four circulating images at the request of fact-checkers. His verdict was unequivocal: “These are not real.”

The photos first appeared on December 21, 2025, when the X account @culturejpg posted them with the caption “Some alleged rare pictures of Tupac at a hospital.” They quickly spread across social media platforms, igniting debate about their authenticity among fans and music historians.

Kenner, who was physically present at University Medical Center in Las Vegas during Shakur’s hospitalization, identified several critical discrepancies in the images. Most notably, two of the photos showing date stamps of September 9 and 11, 1996, depict Shakur without any life support equipment – an impossibility according to Kenner, who stated, “There was never a time that he wasn’t plugged into massive tubes, keeping him on life support.”

Another telltale sign of manipulation is the depiction of Shakur’s upper body. In the images, the rapper appears with a normal chest profile, which contradicts the medical reality of his condition. “His whole chest cavity was swollen five times the size because the bullets went through his lungs and the lungs expanded,” Kenner explained.

Perhaps most obviously incorrect is the inclusion of fellow Death Row artist Snoop Dogg at Shakur’s bedside in two of the images. Kenner definitively stated, “I don’t think Snoop was ever there. One of these pictures has Snoop in it.”

The timing of these images’ emergence raises further suspicion. Extensive digital searches found no examples of these photos online before mid-December 2025, nearly three decades after Shakur’s death – suggesting a recent creation rather than newly discovered historical documentation.

Shakur was 25 years old and at the height of his career when he was shot four times on September 7, 1996, following a Mike Tyson boxing match in Las Vegas. The critically wounded artist was rushed to the University Medical Center, where doctors fought to save his life for six days. Ultimately, his mother, Afeni Shakur, made the heartbreaking decision to end life support, and Tupac died on September 13, 1996.

The circulation of fake deathbed photos continues a troubling pattern of misinformation surrounding Shakur’s death. For decades, conspiracy theories have persisted suggesting the rapper faked his death and is living in hiding – claims that have been repeatedly debunked by investigators and those close to the case.

The incident highlights the ongoing challenge of digital misinformation, particularly around cultural icons whose legacies generate intense public interest. Modern AI and image manipulation technologies have made creating convincing fake historical photos increasingly accessible, requiring heightened vigilance from media consumers.

Despite his untimely death nearly three decades ago, Shakur remains one of music’s most influential figures, with posthumous album releases continuing to cement his legacy in hip-hop culture. His unsolved murder case received renewed attention in 2023 when police made their first arrest in connection with the shooting, charging Duane “Keefe D” Davis with murder with use of a deadly weapon.