Everything to Know About Rapper Juice WRLD After His Death at 21
“I won’t let you forget me.”
Fans are remembering Juice WRLD — famous for that chorus in his debut hit “Lucid Dreams” — after he died early Sunday morning at 21, PEOPLE confirmed.
The Chicago born artist, whose real name was Jarad Anthony Higgins, died after reportedly having a seizure at Chicago’s Midway Airport. Higgins reportedly remained conscious while en route to a local hospital, TMZ reported. He was pronounced dead around 3:14 a.m. local time at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, a spokesperson for the Cook County Medical Examiner said.
The spokesperson for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE that they had been “notified of the death of Jarad A. Higgins.” An autopsy has yet to be performed and his cause of death is not immediately known.
Chicago police confirmed to the Chicago Sun-Times that a 21-year-old man had suffered a medical emergency at Chicago’s Midway Airport after disembarking from a private jet around 2 a.m. Police also confirmed the man was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.
Here’s everything to know about the late rapper.
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He began sharing his music online while still in high school.
Throughout his sophomore year of high school, Juice WRLD began posting songs on SoundCloud that he would record on his cellphone, he told the New York Times in 2018. Back then, he went by his first rap name, JuiceTheKidd.
“I’ve always been different,” he told the outlet of breaking into the music industry with his unique sound at a young age. “I used to try to hide it a little bit, but now I have a platform for being different.”
Juice WRLD’s hit single “Lucid Dreams” took him just 15 minutes to make.
In May 2018, Juice WRLD debuted two singles, “All Girls Are the Same” and “Lucid Dreams.” The latter became one of the most popular songs of 2018 and even snagged an MTV Video Music Awards nomination for song of summer.
The hit quickly rose to the top of the charts, peaking at no. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Many likened its catchy melody to a sample of Sting’s 1993 song “Shape of My Heart,” and the rapper told Vulture in 2018 the track only took him 15 minutes to make.
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“I feel like it’s just relatable. I’m saying the things about feelings that people don’t know how to put into words,” he said of the song’s success. “It took me about 15 minutes to make. My mom told me that [the song’s producer Nick Mira] sampled Sting so I went back and listened to his version. I haven’t heard from Sting but he said publicly that ‘Lucid Dreams’ was a beautiful interpretation of ‘Shape of My Heart.’ “
The song also certified six times platinum, according to Esquire.
He made Billboard’s Hot 100 chart 25 times in under two years.
Though Juice WRLD’s career was tragically cut short, the rapper had a prolific presence on the Billboard Hot 100 since his debut, according to Billboard.
While “Lucid Dreams” led the pack with its No. 2 peak, “Bandit” (with YoungBoy Never Broke Again) hit No. 10 and “Fine China”(with Future) hit No. 26.
He was crowned top new artist earlier this year at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards after being dubbed Billboard’s top new R&B/hip-hop artist in 2018.
He once freestyle rapped for over an hour on a live radio show.
While appearing on Tim Westwood TV in 2018, the talented rapper performed a freestyle rap for over an hour.
He referenced dying at age 21 in a tribute song to late rappers Lil Peep and XXXTentacion.
Since news of his death, fans have been recalling Juice WRLD’s lyrics in his 2018 song, “Legends,” which was written in remembrance of late rappers XXXTentacion and Lil Peep.
Juice Wrld died just six days after his 21st birthday, and in the song, he sings:
“What’s the 27 Club?/ We ain’t making it past 21/ I been going through paranoia, so I always gotta keep a gun/ Damn, that’s the world we live in now/ Yeah, hold on, just hear me out/ They tell me I’mma be a legend / I don’t want that title now ’cause all the legends seem to die out.”
