Rapper Juice Wrld dies aged 21 after a ‘medical emergency’ at a US airport
21-year-old rapper Juice Wrld’s security guards were arrested at the time of his sudden death for having guns at the airport.
The American rapper Juice Wrld died aged 21 after a “medical emergency” at Chicago’s Midway International Airport, Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told The Post.
The Lucid Dreams star – whose real name is Jarad A Higgins – was reportedly bleeding from the mouth when paramedics arrived on Sunday local time, according to TMZ.
He was pronounced dead at a hospital around 3.15am and taken to the Cook County medical examiner’s office several hours later, according to office spokeswoman Natalia Derevyanny.
The hip hop star was with a group of about 10 to 12 people at the time, including his entourage, aircraft staff and two security guards — who were found with weapons on them, Guglielmi said.
They had a conceal and carry permit valid in the state of Illinois, but it didn’t allow them to bring the weapons into an airport.
They were arrested and charged with misdemeanour gun violations, Guglielmi said. Their names and exact charges weren’t immediately released, pending an approval of the charges from the state’s attorney.
No other contraband was found on any other member of the group, Guglielmi said.
Gossip site TMZ reported that Juice Wrld suffered a seizure at the airport, though that has so far been unconfirmed by authorities.
Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said the rapper experienced cardiac arrest and was taken to a hospital from a small hangar at Midway, away from the main terminal, where private planes land. An autopsy will take place tomorrow.
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said there were “no signs of foul play evident to officers,” according to Chicago Sun-Times.
Juice Wrld’s death has shocked fans and came weeks after his toured Australia – his second visit Down Under in less than a year.
The rapper’s record label said he had “made a profound impact on the world in such a short period of time.”
“He was a gentle soul, whose creativity knew no bounds, an exceptional human being and artist who loved and cared for his fans above everything else,” Interscope Records tweeted. “To lose someone so kind and so close to our hearts is devastating. Our thoughts are with Juice’s family and friends, everyone at his label Grade A, and his millions of fans around the world.”
The artist, who was named top new artist at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards in May, lived in the Chicago suburb of Homewood where he stood out as a musician early on.
Juice Wrld turned 21 only days earlier. He was only two years out of high school.
He had a growing fanbase in Australia and toured last month, playing at Hordern Pavilion in Sydney and Festival Hall in Melbourne.
Earlier this year, he had appeared at Falls Festival in January.
Juice Wrld signed with Interscope Records in 2018 and received a whopping $US3 million ($A4.3 million) signing bonus, Billboard reported.
Lucid Dreams hit number one on Billboard’s Hot R & B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart in October 2018.
He blended rapping and singing on his songs, sometimes mumbling words and focusing more on melody. His hit Lucid Dreams, which heavily samples Sting’s 1993 song Shape of My Heart, was a six-times platinum success and reached No. 2 on the all-genre Hot 100 chart. It reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R & B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts.
He also featured on Travis Scott’s AstroWorld album, on the song No Bystanders.
His major-label debut album Goodbye & Good Riddance was a platinum success. It featured the hit All Girls Are the Same, which gained platinum status, alongside seven more platinum hits including Armed & Dangerous, Robbery, Fine China and Legends, which features the lyrics: “What’s the 27 Club?/We ain’t making it past 21.”
Juice Wrld had 10 songs reach gold status and also had success with 2018’s Wrld on Drugs, a collaborative album with rapper-singer-producer Future.
His second album, Death Race for Love, debuted on top of the Billboard charts this year and his most recent single, Bandit with YoungBoy Never Broke Again, reached the Top 10 of the pop charts in October.
Higgins’ stage name was reportedly inspired by Tupac Shakur’s performance in the 1992 film Juice.
On his 21st birthday, the rapper partied on a boat in Sydney and wrote on Instagram: “Yesterday was my actual bday im celebrating all week doe 999 s**t.”
His high school, Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School, paid tribute to Juice Wrld, calling him a “brilliant” and “creative” student.
“He is remembered by his teachers and staff as being a brilliant and creative student,” a spokeswoman for the school said.
“Jared was extraordinarily talented in music and played many instruments.
“He was a caring and outgoing person who always tried to reach out to others while at the same time he was introspective and had a great sense of humour.”
As well as Travis Scott, Juice Wrld had collaborated with a range of artists including Future and Ellie Goulding.
Earlier this year, he replaced Future as the support act on Nicki Minaj’s European tour, spanning 19 dates.
‘I HAVE A LOT GOING FOR ME’
The rapper was part of a generation known as the “SoundCloud rappers” — a subgenre that takes its name from the streaming platform where its artists find fame.
The crop of rappers in recent years has become a disruptive movement in hip hop, combining a lo-fi underground sound with raw, often emotionally laden lyrics leading some to dub them “emo rappers.”
These musicians whose careers are built on internet stardom often rap about popping drugs, notably Xanax, an anti-anxiety medication.
Along with prescription medication the subculture’s aesthetic includes face tattoos and neon-dyed hair.
The scene has launched careers and sales figures but the lives of its figures are often volatile: XXXTentacion was murdered in 2018, while Tekashi69, seeking leniency on serious racketeering and weapons charges, this year was a star government witness at the trial of alleged former gang associates.
And in 2017 the SoundCloud rapper Lil Peep died at age 21 of what was declared an accidental overdose of fentanyl and Xanax.
Speaking to The New York Times in 2018, Juice WRLD said that he used the prescription drug Xanax heavily as a teenager but was aiming to curb his drug use.
“I have a lot going for me, I recognise it’s a lot of big things, a lot of big looks. I want to be there, and you don’t have to overdose to not be there,” he told The Times.
Among those paying tribute to Juice Wrld was Drake, who said: “I would like to see all the younger talent live longer and I hate waking up hearing another story filled with blessings was cut short.”
Lil Nas simply said: “RIP juice”. Rapper Lil Yachty — who featured Juice Wrld on “Yacht Club said: “Wow, I cannot believe this”. “Rip my brother juice world,” he tweeted.
Singer Camilla Cabello paid tribute with a single emoji — a broken heart — and YouTuber FaZe Banks shared a touching screenshot of some of his final conversations with Juice WRLD.
“I love you brother,” Banks wrote. “Watching you come up was special. We lost the best one today. Rest In Peace player.”
Ski Mask the Slump God, a rapper and close collaborator, posted a photo of them together Sunday on Instagram in an emotional tribute.
“I Love You So Much. You Didn’t Deserve This,” he wrote.
“I Cant Explain How Much It Hurts Me To Lose You. Rest In Peace You Know I’ll Carry Your Energy Forever !!!!!!!! I Can’t Lose Any More Brothers.”