Story highlights The letter is up for auction

Madonna said in 2015 the pair dated

(CNN) Tupac Shakur lived much of his life in the limelight, but a letter that has surfaced from his past seems to offer rare insight into one of the late rapper's relationships.

In a note to Madonna, reportedly written by Shakur while he was serving time in prison in 1995, he acknowledges ending their romantic relationship because of her race.

"For you to be seen with a black man wouldn't in any way jeopardize your career, if anything it would make you seem that much more open and exciting," Tupac wrote. "But for me at least in my previous perception I felt due to my 'image' that I would be letting down half of the people who made me what I thought I was."

While CNN has not independently confirmed the letter's authenticity, the auction site allowed TMZ to photograph the note and publish excerpts.

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