Fans snap photos beside the wax sculpture of Tupac Shakur that was unveiled Wednesday at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas. Photos by John Gurzinski. Gloria Cox, left, and Sekyiwa "Set" Shakur pose Wednesday beside the sculpture of Tupac Shakur at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas. Cox and Sekyiwa Shakur are the aunt and sister, respectively, of the slain rap superstar.

While the Las Vegas police stance against gangsta rap has made national headlines in recent weeks, an icon of the genre, whose 1996 slaying near the Strip remains unsolved, is now immortalized not far from where he was gunned down.

By popular demand, Tupac Shakur is the new star attraction at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas in The Venetian. A $200,000 sculpture of the rap star was unveiled Wednesday as Shakur's aunt and sister looked on.

The sculpture, which took six months to complete, depicts Shakur as he often appeared in concert: a bandana tied around his head, baggy blue jeans worn low enough to reveal the top of his boxer shorts and a bare chest to showcase tattoos.

The words "Thug Life" are tattooed across the figure's stomach. He sports a nose piercing and eyes with a thousand-yard stare.

"I thought my nephew was going to blink," Gloria Cox, Shakur's aunt, said. "It's beautiful ... perfect. It captures his intensity."

Shakur was shot near the Strip on Sept. 7, 1996, while riding in a BMW 750 sedan driven by Death Row Records owner Marion "Suge" Knight, a former UNLV football player. Knight survived a bullet that grazed his head; the 25-year-old Shakur died six days later at University Medical Center.

Clark County Sheriff Bill Young stirred up controversy and debates over free speech rights by saying that Las Vegas would be better off without gangsta rappers, and the stance was broached by gaming industry regulators and the state university system Board of Regents.

Some local rap venues have complained that they have felt pressured by the police department to stop playing the music and to avoid booking gangsta rap acts. A Snoop Dogg appearance planned for the Rio was scotched last month.

Adrian Jones, general manager of Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, said no one from the police department expressed any opposition to the sculpture, but if the police had, it wouldn't have made a difference because the public was clamoring for Shakur to be added to the gallery.

Museum patrons are encouraged to give comments and name famous people who deserve commemoration.

"We asked our guests, and Tupac came out number one by a long, long way," Jones said.

He becomes the first rapper ever so honored at Madame Tussauds, joining a select group of artists who enjoy the same recognition. His wax and fiberglass figure is flanked by depictions of Prince, Michael Jackson, Jimmy Hendrix and Mick Jagger.

Shakur's sister, Sekyiwa "Set" Shakur attended the ceremony, but the rapper's mother did not. Cox said the mother, Afeni, has not been to Las Vegas since the days following his death and still finds it too difficult to return.

But, in a statement to Madame Tussauds, Afeni Shakur said the statue left her speechless.

"We are all tremendously grateful that his legacy will on through this attraction," she said. "We came from a very humble background, and there was nothing in our lives that would indicate the Shakur name would be celebrated in such a timeless fashion."

Detective Dan Long still counts the slaying among his vast case files. The slaying is not considered a "cold case" because it happened post-1995.

"We get leads all the time, about once a week," said Long, who was handed the case about five years ago when the original homicide detectives on the investigation moved on. "Sometimes, around anniversary time (for the slaying), we get one a day.

"The majority of phone calls we get these days is that President Bush (and an arm of the government) killed him. I'm serious."

Long discounts criticisms that were hurled at Las Vegas police about their handling of the investigation. Las Vegas police have said they were met by a wall of silence from Knight and other members of Tupac Shakur's entourage, some of them members of the Compton, Calif.-based Mob Piru Bloods, who refused to cooperate and provide possible information about the shooter.

Critics said Las Vegas police failed to interview one member of the entourage who was willing to talk. That possible witness was shot and killed weeks later in New Jersey.

Critics questioned a decision by Las Vegas police to not pursue immediately security videotape that might have showed the rapper and his bodyguards beating on Orlando Anderson, a member of the Southside Crips street gang in California.

"I think the detectives did an excellent job on this case," Long said, referring to detectives Brent Becker and Mike Franks. "They are extremely good detectives."

Long said he still pursues leads involving Tupac Shakur's death. Last year, acting on a tip, Long said he spent a week searching an area for an item that might have held a clue about the killing. He left the scene empty-handed. He also visited a California prison and interviewed inmates about the case.

"I feel I know who did it," Long said. "I think everything points to a certain person who had done the murder. (But) there is no way I can prove or disprove it at this point. He's dead."

Long declined to say whether the suspect to whom he was referring was Anderson, who was shot and killed in 1998 at a Compton car wash.

"This case will stay open until somebody is arrested or we have enough evidence to prove he (the suspect) is deceased," Long said.

Family members are not exerting pressure on homicide detectives and did not meet with them during their trip to Madame Tussauds. The family tries to focus on healing, not anger, they said.

"Any time we come to an event that he's featured, we feel it (pain) more," Cox said. "We don't know who killed him, and at this point, who cares?"

Jones said the rapper has worldwide appeal and is particularly popular in Europe, and the museum's brain trust is pondering whether to send the sculpture on an international tour or to create another.

Rick Barlowe is co-owner of Amaru AWA Merchandising, which sells licensed clothing and items in the rapper's name. Last year the company had $70 million in wholesale sales, Barlowe said.

Said Jones: "This person has made a big impact on this world, and that's why he is famous. Madame Tussauds is celebrating that fame."