After Tupac Shakur died from a fatal gun wound in 1996, people started claiming he was still alive and well, chilling out in Cuba with Elvis and John F. Kennedy. Though the conspiracies that surround his mysterious death can be pretty out-there, their supporters remain numerous and strong.
One of these fans is an Iowa state employee who was just laid off - possibly due to his love for the rapper. Jerry Foxhoven, former director of Iowa’s Department of Human Services, was known around the office for frequently quoting and talking about Tupac.
Aside from Jerry's "Tupac Fridays" - when he played rap music in the office - the 66-year-old state employee frequently emailed lyrics written by the musical legend to over 4,000 of his peers to reportedly lighten the stress in his workplace.
And it didn't stop there, on his 65th birthday, he passed out Tupac-themed cookies. Furthermore, during his two years working for the state, the Associated Press found at least 350 pages of emails referencing Tupac's name.
While many of his co-workers enjoyed Jerry's little notes, at least one complained after he purportedly took it too far by telling his mailing list to listen to one of Tupac's songs to celebrate the rapper's birthday over the weekend. The e-mail also celebrated Father's Day and Jerry's two years on the job.
This fateful message included the Tupac quote: "Pay no mind to those who talk behind your back, it simply means that you are 2 steps ahead."
It was the last work email Jerry would ever send.
After the weekend, state governor, Kim Reynolds, allegedly told Jerry to quit, but it's unclear whether or not his email - or his Tupac obsession - influenced this. Could it have been Jerry's birthday cookies that read "Thug life?"
Regardless of the specific reason, Jerry resigned suddenly. The governor's spokesperson, Pat Garrett, released the following statement: "As the governor has said, a lot of factors contributed to the resignation of Jerry Foxhoven and now Gov. Reynolds is looking forward to taking DHS in a new direction."
But some people are confused because Iowa law requires state agencies to give "documented reasons and rationale" when it comes to resignations. And it's especially curious because Jerry's job didn't previously appear to be in danger.
Jerry told AP that he thought his resignation was nothing more than the governor deciding to go in a different direction, and was not influenced by his last Tupac-themed email. However, he was not given a reason for his requested resignation.
No matter where Jerry decides to work next, we know he'll do great, inspirational things. Here's hoping he can find a Tupac fan club to run, or start a business making inspirational rap greeting cards.