Malcolm X’s daughter Malikah Shabazz found dead in NYC home

Malikah Shabazz, 56, one of the daughters of Malcolm X, was found dead in her home on Monday.

Shabazz’s daughter found her in her Brooklyn residence around 4:40 PM on Monday. The NYPD reported that she had been experiencing health issues and that foul play was not suspected.

On Tuesday, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea told PIX11, “At this point in time, working with other authorities, the medical examiner, and speaking to the family, she had been ill for a period of time, and at this point, nothing appears suspicious.” An autopsy will reveal Shabazz’s cause of death.

The death comes shortly after two of Malcolm X’s alleged assassins were exonerated, following a new investigation into the mens’ cases. Shabazz herself was charged with several crimes over the years. In 2017, she and her daughter, Bettih Shabazz were found guilty of animal cruelty and in 2011, she pleaded guilty to identity theft charges against the widow of one of her father’s bodyguards.

Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., tweeted her condolences to the Shabazz family. “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,” she wrote.

Shabazz and her twin sister Malaak were born seven months after the assassination of Malcolm X. They are the youngest of his six children.