ICONIC rapper Lil Peep tragically died aged 21 after an accidental drug overdose.
The American songwriter passed away on November 15, 2017 after consuming fatal doses of fentanyl and Xanax.
Who was Lil Peep?
The Long Beach New York native was born on November 1, 1996 and his real name was Gustav Åhr.
He spent his childhood with his Irish-German mother and his Swedish-German father.
Lil Peep found his passion in the music industry from a young age and kick started his career uploading songs to YouTube after dropping our of high school.
The young rapper amassed a massive and loyal fanbase with his candid lyrics about depression, heartbreak, drug use and his sexuality.
What was Lil Peep’s cause of death?
The 21-year-old sadly died following a drug overdose and was found dead on his tour bus by his manager in Tucson, Arizona on November 15, 2017.
Lil Peep tested positive for Fentanyl, Xanax, marijuana, cocaine, Tramadol and a number of other powerful prescription opiates, according to the toxicology report obtained by the New York Daily News.
The report, which was issued by the Pima County Medical Examiner, showed the young performer had no alcohol in his system.
Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Lil Peep’s mom, Liza Womack, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against First Access Entertainment in October 2019.
She alleged wrongful death, negligence and a breach of contract against manager Bryant Ortega and tour manager Belinda Mercer, as reported by Pitchfork.
The heartbroken mother claimed her son’s death was the result of dysfunctional management while on tour, while Ortega and Mercer always denied having any part in Lil Peep’s passing.
A judge ruled Womack’s lawsuit could proceed, but threw out the majority of claims against Ortega.
On February 14, 2023, Womack finally settled the lawsuit, although no more details are known.
A post on Lil Peep’s social media read: “Today, Gus’s music came home.
“From this day forward, his music will be in the care of his mother and brother, and no one else.
“It is a solemn moment for us as we reflect on the struggles of the past five plus years. We are grateful to all of the fans, friends, professionals, and family who stood by us.
“We were all permanently changed by Gus’s death.
“We know he should be here in the world with all of us, creating–making whatever he was inspired to make. But he is not. So, we will protect his music with all of our strength.
“We look forward to continuing to release Gus’s music.
“This is a very important day for us.”
In September 2023, a posthumous album was released which featured a collaboration with ILoveMakonnen.
Diamonds was created when the two rappers sparked a close friendship and they began recording in 2017.
The duo wrote Sunlight on Your Skin, which later became Falling Down – a song featuring XXXTentacion after Lil Peep died.
And, there were enough songs to create a full album, which has now been dropped six years following the tragedy.
It has been dubbed “the last cohesive previously unreleased fully body of work from Lil Peep”.
Liza Womack said: “Lil Peep and Makonnen completed the first fifteen of what would be 21 songs and would later be known as the album Diamonds in Los Angeles, exactly six years ago in August of 2017.
“Gus was absolutely thrilled about working with Makonnen, When he came home in August, he played those songs for us – over and over.
“Gus was incredibly proud of those songs.”
Previously, in 2021, another Lil Peep song was released posthumously called Life is Beautiful which outlined his struggles.
