Lil Keed’s cause of death was recently confirmed ahead of the release of his first posthumous single, “Long Way to Go.” The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner ruled that the rapper died on May 13, 2022, of natural causes due to eosinophilia, as PEOPLE reports. Per the Mayo Clinic, Eosinophilia is defined as a “higher than normal level of eosinophilia” which “are a type of disease-fighting white blood cell. This condition most often indicates a parasitic infection, an allergic reaction or cancer.” But what caused the condition is not clear.
In the early evening hours of May 13, the YSL rapper, best known for songs like “Nameless” and “Snake,” said he needed to go to the hospital. The coroner report notes: “He had been sick in bed for 4 days with complaints of stomach and back pains. His brother noted that the decedent’s eyes were jaundiced and drove him to the hospital in a private vehicle.” While on the way to the hospital, he suffered a seizure “before going unresponsive.” He later the same night at 10:14 p.m.
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He’d suffered similar pains the previous year. While admitted to a Georgia hospital due to stomach pain, “he left against medical advice and did not seek follow-up care,” the coroner notes, adding that Keed drank alcohol often and smoked a vape pen. His family says he did not use drugs or have any other medical conditions.
Alongside the release of “Long Way to Go,” Keed’s mother, Tonnie “HoodMama” Woods-Reed issued a statement reflecting on his death and how his legacy will be honored going forward. “On May 13, 2022, I lost my son Raqhid Render—who many of you knew as the artist Lil Keed. While this journey through the different phases of grief has been indescribably hard, a way that I have found to cope is through his music,” she wrote. “Right before his passing, Keed was hard at work at what would’ve been his highly anticipated next album, Keed Talk to ‘Em 2. As much as he was a great father, son, and friend—he was also an artist who (thanks to many of you) lived and continues to live through his music. With that being said, the time has come to share some of our last pieces of Keed with you all starting with the release of his first single, ‘Long Way to Go.’ This song holds a special place in my heart and as you guys will see it will reflect on many aspects of Keed’s journey here on Earth. I hope you all appreciate it as we take the first step in cementing Keed’s legacy. Long Live Keed!”
