Source: Edward Berthelot / Getty
The music community was floored Thursday (November 16) morning with the news that emerging rapper and singer Lil Peep died. Born in Long Beach, Calif., and raised in Long Island, N.Y., the 21-year-old musician born Gustav Åhr gained a steadily increasing fanbase over the past two years through social media and streaming sites such as Soundcloud.
Peep’s music was a blend of new-age rap with some goth rock elements, and his sound, while dismissed by purists, drew in younger rap crowds. His most recent project, Come Over When You’re Sober, was a solid showcase for his talent, and many thought that it was only a matter of time before his career took off.
Lil Peep’s manager, Chase Ortega, was the first to break the news via Twitter late Wednesday night. Ortega, whose Twitter account has since been made private, tweeted, “I’ve been expecting this call for a year. Mother fuck.”
Sarah Stennett, CEO of First Access Entertainment, who partnered with the rapper in early 2016, released a statement on his death: “I am shocked and heartbroken. I do not believe Peep wanted to die, this is so tragic. He had big goals and dreams for the future which he had shared with me, his team, his family, and his friends.”
Peep’s cause of death hasn’t been officially announced, but a tweet from Andrew Grandmaison, host of the popular podcast NoJumper, reports that Lil Peep was in the hospital for an overdose when he died. The rapper was known to use the prescription drug Xanax recreationally, and early reports say he was hospitalized after mixing it with counterfeit Oxycodone at a show in Tucson.
Music artists, including Lil Yachty and Playboi Carti, paid their respects to Lil Peep via social media today, speaking of the rapper’s artistic nature and creativity. Many rappers also spoke out on the dangers of abusing prescription drugs and the importance of being there for people struggling with depression. A$AP Mob member A$AP Nast posted a thread sending condolences to the family and friends of Lil Peep and reminding the world that he lost close friend and A$AP Mob creator A$AP Yams to an overdose of prescription drugs in 2015.
