In a letter written from prison the same year as his death, the rapper suggests Madonna’s race was problematic for his career, leading to the couple’s split

A newly unearthed letter penned by rapper Tupac Shakur reveals personal details of his relationship with Madonna, explaining how their eventual split was prompted by racial tensions.

The letter, dated 15 January 1995, would have been written from a New York prison where Shakur was serving a four-and-a-half year sentence for sexual assault.

They were at the height of their fame, and the letter outlines his reason for ending their relationship. “For you to be seen with a black man wouldn’t in any way jeopardise your career, if anything it would make you seem that much more open and exciting,” it says.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tupac Shakur’s letter to Madonna.

Photograph: Gotta Have Rock and Roll/PA

“But for me at least in my previous perception I felt due to my ‘image’ I would be letting down half of the people who made me what I thought I was. I never meant to hurt you.”

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The letter, which is to be auctioned on the Gotta Have Rock and Roll website later this month, goes on to describe how he had now grown “spiritually and mentally” and no longer cared about perceptions.

“Please understand my previous position as that of a young man with limited experience with an extremely famous sex symbol,” it adds.

He offered his friendship and said he wanted to meet to discuss the situation. The letter was sent before he was bailed from prison in October 1995. In September the following year, Shakur was hit in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. He died six days later at the age of 25.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Madonna on stage last year at the Billboard Women in Music event. Photograph: Nicholas Hunt

Madonna confirmed two years ago that they had been dating in early 1994 but did not say for how long.

Representatives for Shakur and Madonna, 58, have yet to comment on the letter. It was first published by TMZ earlier this week, but Rolling Stone claims to have authenticated it. The Guardianhas contacted Madonna’s representatives but has yet to receive confirmation.

A spokeswoman for Gotta Have Rock and Roll, which will auction the letter between 19-28 July said: “It’s from a close contact of Madonna’s who worked with her for over 20 years.”