Juice WRLD Dead at 21 After Suffering Seizure at Airport

Rapper Juice WRLD reportedly passed away on Sunday morning in Chicago. The 21-year-old rapper had a seizure in Midway Airport in Chicago, according to a report by TMZ, and he never recovered. He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Juice WRLD was one of the biggest rising talents in hip-hop music before his shocking passing on Sunday. He reportedly suffered a seizure shortly after leaving his plane on Sunday morning, arriving from California. Paramedics were called to the scene, and discovered him bleeding from the mouth.

Juice WRLD was reportedly still conscious when he was rushed to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. An official cause of death has not yet been identified.

Juice WRLD’s real name was Jarad Anthony Higgins. Hailing from Chicago, he is considered one of the pioneers of “emo rap,” fusing disparate genres for a newly popular sound. In a radio interview with Atlanta’s Durtty Daily, he discussed some of his non-rap music influences, including Billy Idol, Blink-182, Black Sabbath, Fall Out Boy, Megadeth and Panic! at the Disco from a young age.

Juice WRLD also spoke openly about his strained upbringing in that interview. He grew up with a single mother and one older brother, in a household that he said was very religious and conservative. He explained that he rebelled against this lifestyle by getting into drugs from an early age.

According to Juice WRLD, he began drinking lean — a cocktail containing strong cough syrup with codeine — in sixth grade. He went on to use prescription pills like Percocets and Xanax, and picked up smoking as well. He said that he dropped cigarettes before leaving high school.

This drug use permeated Juice WRLD’s work, which often concerned addiction. His lyrics were often melancholy, and did not always glorify drugs. His confessional style was popular with both fans and critics, and earned him a quick rise to prominence in the world of hip hop.

Juice WRLD made his start on SoundCloud, as many rappers have. He began releasing music in his sophomore year of high school, using a cell phone to record. He went on to collaborate with big names like Waka Flocka Flame, and Future, while being compared to contemporary performers like Lil Peep and XXXTentacion.

Fans are grappling with the death of Juice WRLD on social media, where many are expecting updates with more specifics soon.