I was 12, one month away from 13. 8th grade. I remember being at my cousin's house in L.A. when MTV reported it, I remember how for the longest time, all I heard on the radio (Power 106 and The Beat) was Pac songs, especially I Ain't Mad at Cha. I was bumping my Pac CD nonstop that night. Especially "Hit 'Em Up" for some reason.
California has never been the same. You guys who live in SoCal (at least at the time) remember how good it felt to be from California when Pac was alive... only he made you that proud, not Dre, Snoop, Xzibit, Game, DPG, whoever. It was some special shit.