STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Will Smith Claims He Spoke to The Notorious B.I.G. and Prince Just Hours Before They Passed

Smith says he cried after receiving news of Biggie’s death, which “scared” him.

The untimely deaths of legendary artists The Notorious B.I.G. and Prince continue to haunt Will Smith for extremely personal reasons.

While on a new episode of “Broken Records Podcast,” which was posted on Tuesday (February 18), Smith’s conversation took a hard turn from his early music career, meeting Quincy Jones and starring on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” to his last conversations with Biggie and Prince. The Academy Award winner would meet Biggie just once during his life.

Around the 1-hour mark of the video below, podcast host Justin Richmond asked Smith whether a story of meeting Biggie just hours before his death was true, which the “King Richard” star confirmed.

“The night he got killed," Smith said. "I don't even want to say this out loud 'cause it's like a terrible jinx. I met Biggie four hours before he got killed, and I talked to Prince eight hours before he died."

Smith revealed that Prince called him to propose a business partnership involving him and Jay-Z.

“He had talked to Jay and he wanted to do it. And we talked that night, and in the morning, he was gone,” Smith added. “I don't know what that says about me.”

"Don't call me, don't call me," Smith joked before recounting his encounter with Biggie. "The Biggie one made me cry," Smith admitted. “‘Cause it was stupid and just centered on hip-hop–for rapping. That one hurt me. It scared me, too.”

Upon Prince’s death in April 2016, Smith wrote a Facebook post (per “Entertainment Weekly”) expressing that he was “stunned and heartbroken” about Prince’s death.

“I just spoke with him last night,” Smith wrote. “Today, Jada & I mourn with all of you the loss of a beautiful poet, a true inspiration, and one of the most magnificent artists to ever grace this earth.”

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.