Music

Rapper Lil Peep dies at 21

By MARIAH COOPER OF THE WASHINGTON BLADE, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL LGBT MEDIA ASSOCIATION

Rapper Lil Peep, real name Gustav Åhr, died on Wednesday night in Tucson, Ariz., of an overdose. He was 21.

Lil Peep’s friend Adam Grandmaison confirmed to the Guardian Peep was taken to the hospital following an overdose. His manager Chase Ortega confirmed Peep’s death tweeting, “I’ve been expecting this call for a year. Mother f*ck”.

Peep had been scheduled to perform in Tucson, Ariz., as part of his “Come Over When You’re Sober” tour.

Sarah Stennett, the chief executive of First Access Entertainment, released a statement saying that she had “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.”

The news comes one day after Peep posted a video on Instagram stating he had taken a number of prescription pills. He was also known for frequently discussing his drug use in his lyrics.

Lil Peep was born to an elementary school teacher mother and a college professor father in Long Island N.Y. Raised in Long Beach, N.Y., he dropped out of high school and began to focus on music.

He started uploading his music to YouTube and SoundCloud and became known as an “emo rapper” for his blend of punk, hip-hop and trap. After self-releasing a number of mixtapes in 2015 and 2016, Peep dropped his debut album “Come Over When You’re Sober (Part One)” in August.

Lil Peep also came out as bisexual in August tweeting, “yes I’m bi sexual.” His music was well-known in the underground music scene but had recently gained recognition with other artists.

Numerous celebrities and artists paid tribute to Peep on social media including Pete Wentz, Diplo and Travis Barker.

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