Tupac Shakur's family members believe Suge Knight is dead wrong -- the rapper couldn't have been a homophobe ... because he was GREAT friends with Gianni Versace.

Suge has been on a media blitz recently ... telling multiple radio stations 2pac ended his professional relationship with a famous hip hop star because Suge believed the rapper was a gay man. 

But sources close to the Tupac estate tell TMZ ... the Shakur family feels very strongly that Suge's claims are "totally false" ... and point to his friendship with the famous designer Gianni Versace, who was an openly gay man.

In fact, Tupac reportedly participated in a Versace fashion show in Italy back in 1996 ... and even rocked a Versace suit on the catwalk.

Suge Knight is FURIOUS over the look of 2Pac's hologram at Coachella ... telling TMZ the people who created it screwed up one major detail.

The rapper was out in Los Angeles last night when he pointed out that the 3D hologram used to bring 2Pac to life on stage was missing the rapper's famous Death Row Records chain.

Knight told us, "At the end of the day, how you gonna take the Death Row chain off Pac? That's like taking the Raiders symbol off the Raiders."

There is a VERY good chance Tupac Shakur is alive and well ... and hiding ... this according to the man who was with him during the supposedly fatal shooting in Vegas, Suge Knight.

Knight just appeared on 93.5 KDay in L.A. with Tattoo and Cee Cee ... and pumped some major fuel into the biggest urban legend in hip hop ... that Tupac FAKED his own death.

Knight says his theory explains why cops never found his murderer -- because there was no murder.

"Maybe the question is ... Pac's not really dead ... pac's somewhere else," Knight says.

When asked if he ever saw Tupac's body following the 1996 shooting, he adds, "Nobody seen Tupac dead. "

Knight explains, "The person who supposedly cremated Tupac ... this guy got about 3 million dollars .. personally from me ... cash ... and next thing I know I never heard from the guy or seen him again ... he retired and left."

Dr. Dre says he's THRILLED with the way his Tupac hologram rocked Coachella this weekend ... and tells TMZ he would love to see a Jimi Hendrix-ogram follow Pac's lead.

The hip-hop legend was at Boa steakhouse in Hollywood last night when he told us he's so fired up about the Tupac show, he's breaking out the hologram AGAIN at the next Coachella concert on Sunday ... and he's even thinking about taking Pac on tour.

Dre says he's hopeful the 2pac concert will inspire other artists to resurrect legendary musicians like Jimi Hendrix and Marvin Gaye.

Hell. Yes.

Tupac's famously protective mother Afeni Shakur agrees with the rest of the planet -- the rapper's resurrection at Coachella this weekend ... in the form of an incredibly lifelike hologram ... was mind-blowingly awesome.

A rep for Afeni tells TMZ, she was absolutely positively THRILLED with Tupac's virtual performance -- when he appeared alongside Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg during the headlining show at Coachella last night ... walking back and forth across the stage like he was actually present.

Afeni didn't attend the performance -- but we're told she watched it unfold live on the Internet ... but while it was thrilling, the entire experience was bittersweet.

The rep says Dr. Dre asked Afeni for approval to incorporate Pac into his performance -- and she said yes. As a thank you, we're told Dre made a donation to the rapper's charity ... The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation.

TMZ also spoke with Dre's crewmate Daz Dillinger -- who tells us, Nate Dogg was originally supposed to appear as a hologram as well, but the decision was made at the last minute not to use him. Nate got a video tribute instead.

Tupac came back to life this weekend ... as a hologram ... and it was frickin' AMAZING!!!.

Pac was resurrected for the Coachella music festival in California ... and "performed" a couple of his greatest hits ... including "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" with Snoop Dogg.

We're told the crowd went INSANE ... especially when 2pac first appeared to the crowd ... rising up from the ground until he was standing on the stage.

The movements were remarkably lifelike ... grabbing his crotch and pointing his mic to the crowd like the good ole days.

At the end of his performance, a light shines on Pac ... and he dissipates into thin air.

Pretty insane ... especially for the "partiers" in the crowd ... who didn't realize it was a hologram.

Now that a Tupac Shakur musical is in the works -- we laid down a few new tracks for the production that 'Pac would dig. Rodgers & Hammerstein, however ... would be terrified.

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A new Broadway musical about Tupac Shakur just overcame one MASSIVE roadblock -- TMZ has learned, producers have obtained the approval of the rapper's notoriously protective mother ... who LOVES the show.

A rep for the Shakur family tells TMZ, producers personally gave Afeni Shakur a rough preview of "Holler If You Hear Me" -- the new musical by black theater legend Kenny Leon, based on Tupac's music.

According to the rep, Kenny wanted Afeni's approval before proceeding with the show -- and he GOT IT ... we're told Afeni was "ecstatic" and can't wait for the show to premiere.

The musical isn't about Tupac personally -- it's a fictional story about two childhood friends in a Midwestern industrial city and their extended families.

A Broadway premiere date hasn't been set -- but we're told Leon plans to start casting next week.

Singer Faith Evans is in the middle of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac again ... tackling a not-so-far-fetched hypothetical question -- which rap legend would make the best sex tape? Choose wisely, Faith.  

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Tupac Shakur's 1991 sex tape is officially off the market -- TMZ has learned, the XXX footage has been sold to a private collector.

Sources connected to the deal tells us, the former tape owner decided not to sell to a big company out of principle -- claiming the corporate porn fat cats were "parasites."

No word on what it sold for ... but as we previously reported, bids for the background music alone -- an original, unreleased Tupac track -- had reached $1,000,000.

Maybe next time, folks ... though we wouldn't hold our breath -- a rep for the Tupac estate tells us, it plans to block any future sale of the tape ... and make sure the tape never sees the light of day.

Good news on the Tupac Shakur sex tape front ... Pac's estate has finally begun talks with a potential buyer ... but it ain't for the XXX part ... it's all about the music.

As TMZ first reported, an anti-hangover drink company called NOHO has offered to pay $1,000,000 for the rights to the unreleased song 2Pac was rapping along with ... while he was being "tended to" by a very friendly female in the 1991 footage.

Sources connected to the negotiations tell us ... the offer was big enough to catch the estate’s attention, because a rep for Pac's people reached out to NOHO and the two sides are trying to work out a deal.

There’s only one problem ... the estate doesn’t have possession of the sex tape and aren’t even sure which song is playing on it. 

Oh yeah ... NOHO hasn't heard the song either -- but the CEO is banking on the fact that it's a Tupac song ... which means is has to be awesome.

We're told if the estate can’t get a hold of the tape, they have other unreleased Tupac songs they're willing to part with ... if the price is right.