(Trends Wide) — Malikah Shabazz, daughter of slain civil rights activist for black rights Malcolm X, died Monday, the New York Police Department told Trends Wide.
Shabazz, 56, was found unconscious by her daughter at her home in Brooklyn, according to the NYPD.
Police said the death appears to be due to natural causes at this time.
Bernice King, daughter of the late Martin Luther King Jr., offered her condolences.
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of #MalikahShabazz. My heart goes out to her family, the descendants of Dr. Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X. Dr. Shabazz was pregnant with Malikah and her twin sister, Malaak, when brother Malcolm was murdered. Rest in peace, Malikah “, King said on Twitter.
Shabazz is the youngest of Malcolm X’s six daughters.
Trends Wide has reached out to the medical examiner’s office and the Shabazz family.
The death of Malcom X
Malcolm X was one of the most powerful voices in the fight against racism before his shooting death in New York in 1965.
He remains a symbol of inspiration for black men and others moved by his transformation from a street hustler to a historical figure. The late black actor Ossie Davis praised him as “our own brilliant black prince.”
The murder came after a public dispute between Malcolm X and the founder of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm X had accused Muhammad of infidelity and left the nation of Islam in March 1964.
Last Thursday, two men convicted of the murder were exonerated during a court hearing.
New York County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Ellen Biben granted the motion to vacate the convictions of Muhammad A. Aziz and the late Khalil Islam.
