Malikah Shabazz, the daughter of the late civil rights leader Malcolm X, was found dead in her Brooklyn apartment on Monday at age 56.
Her death comes less than a week after the men convicted of killing her father were exonerated.
According to reports, responding officers said that Malikah was found unconscious and unresponsive by her daughter.
Her cause of death is yet to be determined, but a medical examiner at the scene said no foul play is suspected, according to Rolling Stone.
Her father, Malcolm X, was a significant figure in the civil rights movement and a widely admired figure for his work in racial justice. Unfortunately, he was assassinated at age 39 in 1965.
Malikah was a twin born shortly after her father’s death in 1965 to Betty Shabazz, who died at age 63.
Martin Luther King’s daughter leads tributes
The youngest daughter of the late Martin Luther King Jr., Bernice King, paid tribute to Malikah following her untimely death.
“I’m deeply saddened by the death 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 assassinated. Be at peace, Malikah.”
Other tributes poured in from admirers of her father’s civil rights work.
Professor of Sociology Amro Ali sent their condolences and wrote, “Malikah Shabazz, the youngest daughter of Malcolm X, has been found dead in her home. She was one of the unborn twins that Betty Shabazz was carrying when Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965. My condolences to the Shabazz family. RIP.”
Malikah Shabazz had a troubled life
The daughter of Malcolm X, who never knew her late father, was arrested in 2017 for stealing a rental truck that contained seven pitbulls, Fox News reports.
In addition, she pleaded guilty to identity theft in 2011, accused of spending $55,000 in credit card bills. She was also reportedly facing charges of larceny, forgery, and identity theft.
Two men convicted of killing Malcolm X exonerated 50 years later
Last week the two men convicted of the murder of Malcolm X, Muhammad Aziz and the late Khalil Islam, were acquitted after they maintained their innocence for 50 years.
According to The Guardian, Manhattan judge Ellen Biben dismissed the convictions of Aziz and Islam and said the following:
“I regret that this court cannot fully undo the serious miscarriages of injustice in this case and give you back the many years that you lost.”
Evidence that could have been favorable to the defendants was withheld. FBI files revealed witnesses could not identify the exonerees and pointed at other suspects.
The late Shabazz and her twin sister Malaak are the youngest children of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz, who had six children.