Last time I checked, Tupac Amaru Shakur was dead, resting peacefully in his grave.

But as I patiently waited to see “Underworld” this weekend, I saw Tupac walking down the streets, giving an interview and talking about his thug life. Oh, God, I thought. They’re doing another Tupac movie.

Apparently, MTV and Amaru Films have deemed it necessary to resurrect Tupac in a new film documenting his life, beginning with his death.

Of course “Tupac: Resurrection” is different than the many other Tupac films. This one will show him describing his life in his own words through interviews, MTV says.

The title alone makes me question the film and the premise of many other Tupac movies and albums. Why resurrect him at all? What in the world makes anyone think Tupac needs to live on through never-before-seen interviews? He lived his life and served his purpose.

He was a good guy and a force in the rap industry. His death was almost expected, though, given the circumstances of his life. But somehow, he is so important to the industry they have to release more albums and movies than were probably released in his lifetime.

Let him die already.

Let Elvis die already, and leave Aaliyah alone.

Reliving the memory is grand and not forgetting a legend is forgivable. There is always a tribute album and the expected publicity right after an artist’s death.

But re-hashing their life time and time again, digging up old ghosts and not accepting that we may never really know what went on during their lives and right after their deaths is heinous.

This is not all the public’s fault, though. Tupac left an estate behind and those squabbling over it also squabble over the rights to let Tupac rest.

Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, owns Amaru Films and many of the albums that have been released since Tupac’s death could have been stopped or expedited, depending on her wishes. Families have to grieve and forgive as much as the general public.

John Ritter was featured in a marathon of “Three’s Company” episodes recently on cable network Nickelodeon. Now, that makes sense. He just died and he was a respected actor.

The rising of Johnny Cash love after the Man in Black’s death is also expected and warranted.

But the difference is that in seven years, no one will be wearing “R.I.P. Johnny” shirts and releasing previously unreleased tracks by Cash and never-before-seen interviews with Ritter. There will be no conspiracy, no one saying Johnny Cash and John Ritter are living in Barbados happily enjoying the fruit of their life’s labor.

For some reason, this has happened with Tupac. The only reason anyone has for believing Tupac is alive in Barbados is that he has yet to ever fully go away.

Maybe if everyone stopped buying into the previously unreleased tracks and documentaries about the East Coast-West Coast rivalry between Tupac and Notorious B.I.G his memory would rest.

The lifestyle Tupac lead before his death was certainly controversial, and he definitely was a powerful figure in rap, but does that mean we can keep him alive by the horrible documentaries with the same interviews and commentaries on the same subjects?

It’s time to leave Tupac alone, in his grave. The gangsta is dead, and his legacy should pass through time — silently.