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US official with Tupac Shakur obsession gets sacked

Cape Town – A senior US official, Jerry Foxhoven has been fired from his job. His dismissal came “after at least one member of staff complained to lawmakers”, reports BBC.

But many were sad to see Jerry go and expressed their appreciation for their former boss, who could easily have been the biggest Tupac stan of all time. In his final email, sent to 4 300 employees, he cited Tupac: "Pay no mind to those who talk behind your back. It simply means that you are two steps ahead."

Jerry Foxhoven's story went viral as the internet blew up with headline, 'Iowa Official Ousted After Bombarding Staffers With His Tupac Obsession'.

Foxhoven’s love for Tupac was a known fact. Apart from his regular emails quoting the American rapper, he also held “Tupac Fridays” – a day dedicated to playing Tupac’s music in the office – celebrated his birthday with cupcakes that read “thug life” from staff who loved and respected him and assigned mandatory reading on the rapper to the law class he taught at Drake University. 

“I’m a 66-year-old white guy from the Midwest who likes rap music, who likes Tupac,” he told NPR, who also managed to obtain the emails that many believe got him fired, despite governor Kim Reynolds saying a “number of factors” lead to the dismissal according to The Guardian

NPR’s Tim Mak shared a few of his emails. “Jerry kept it professional, but let his staff know that he might be a little down on Thursday Sept 13 because it was the anniversary of PAC's death,” he tweeted, while also sharing that the 66-year-old also had a refreshing sense of humour with his Tupac memes. 

In his final email sent to over 4 000 staff members, Foxhoven wrote, “You have already received my email reminding you that this Sunday is Father’s Day. I am sure you are already aware that this Sunday (June 16th) is also 2Pac’s birthday. So of course I will be celebrating both Father’s Day and 2Pac’s birthday. I hope you all enjoy the day as well – and take the time to enjoy one of his songs.” 

“Oh, and by the way,” he wrote below a picture of the rapper, “on his birthday, I will have finished my second full year of serving as your director. These two years have flown by, and it has been an absolute honor to lead such a dedicated and committed group of people. Thanks for all you do!” 

Three days later, Foxhoven was reportedly dismissed. 

To quote the late, great Tupac Shakur, “Trust nobody.” 

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