Compton rapper Eric “Eazy-E” Wright died from complications from HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, on March 26, 1995. He was well-known as an OG member of NWA and as a solo artist on Ruthless Records. He had beef with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, his former bandmates, but when he got sick, the men made amends the best they could.
Eazy-E was responsible for signing Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, The Black-Eyed Peas, and opening doors for entrepreneurs like Diddy and Jay-Z by being a rapper and label owner. According to sources, he wasn’t even aware he had the disease when he got sick.
“On February 24, Eazy E checked into the hospital for what he and his closest friends believed was a case of chronic asthma. Doctors conducted tests and concluded he was HIV-positive and did not have long to live. In death, he proved even more generous than he had in life. On March 16, he issued a bold statement—the most important of his life—through his lawyer Ron Sweeney.”
The Last Days of Eazy E
10 days later, he passed. The moment was dramatized in the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton. Many site him sharing the news about his disease as one of the greatest acts of courage he performed during his short life.
