LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jada Pinkett Smith, who has been public about her alopecia, revealed she battled the condition along with her late friend Tupac Shakur who also suffered from the autoimmune disease that causes unpredictable hair loss.
Speaking to People, the actress further talked about the legendary rapper's condition. "I don't think Tupac ever talked about the alopecia he suffered from," she said.
Tupac Shakur's hair loss began after he was beaten up by police officers
Smith, who first opened up about her alopecia diagnosis in 2018, further talked about Shakur's hair loss symptoms which she said began around 1991 after he was taken into custody by California's Oakland Police Department.
"After he was in Northern California with the police officers that beat him up, he started losing his hair. And his alopecia patterns were far more extreme than mine," recalled Smith.
The Emmy Award winner claimed that the rapper did not disclose his condition due to societal pressures during that era.
"I don't think Pac ever talked about his alopecia, but he also looked really good with a bald head," she said.
"But that was during a time and during an era that you wouldn't, he just wouldn't talk about it," Smith added.
The 52-year-old actress further added that, "I'm sure if [Shakur] were alive today, he would" be public about his condition.
"I'm glad that I've had the opportunity and we'll continue to have the opportunity to talk about how alopecia affects me," said Smith who is a prominent advocate in raising awareness about alopecia.
“And I'm just hoping that it'll give people the freedom to talk about how and just not have shame around it and not to have such a stigma. And there's a lot of shame around alopecia," she added.
How did Jada Pinkett Smith and Tupac Shakur meet?
Smith and Shakur’s friendship began when they were students at the Baltimore School for the Arts in Maryland.
"It was the first day and he came over to me and introduced himself. Definitely from looking at him, wasn’t necessarily the type of cat that I would even like, deal with," Smith said in an interview.
She previously disclosed to Howard Stern that she and Shakur once kissed but ultimately chose to remain friends.
"But as soon as he approached me, he was like a magnet. Once you paid attention to him he kind of sucked you in. And we hit it off from that moment on," she continued.
Smith went on emotionally talking about her bond with Shakur as she said, "The type of relationship we had…you only get that once in a lifetime."
