Lil Peep has died, his publicist confirms in an email to Pitchfork. The rising emo-rapper was 21 years old. The suspected cause of death is a drug overdose. Lil Peep was born Gustav Åhr in Pennsylvania. He was raised in Long Island by his college-professor father and his mother, a first grade teacher. In interviews, he said his father abandoned their family when Åhr was 14. Shortly after dropping out of high school, Åhr received his diploma through online computer courses. He moved to Los Angeles, where he joined several rap collectives including Schemaposse and Gothboiclique.
In 2015, Åhr released his debut project, LiL PEEP PART ONE. The next year, he released the mixtapes crybaby and HELLBOY. Around that time, his videos for songs like “White Wine” and “Girls” garnered millions of views. In August this year, he released his debut album, Come Over When You’re Sober (Part One). The final song he released, “Avoid,” came out last month.
Lil Peep’s music was characterized by a candid approach to drug use and mental illness. The words “Get Cake Die Young” were tattooed on his forehead just below his hairline. “I suffer from depression and some days I wake up and I’m like, Fuck, I wish I didn’t wake up,” he told Pitchfork. “I don’t express that side of myself on social media. That’s the side of myself that I express through music. That’s my channel for letting all that shit out.”
Sarah Stennett (CEO of First Access Entertainment, a company that worked with Peep) said in a statement: “I have spoken to his mother and she asked me to convey that she is very, very proud of him and everything he was able to achieve in his short life. She is truly grateful to the fans and the people who have supported and loved him.”
