How did Juice Wrld die? Benny Blanco drops 'Real S**t' track on late rapper's 22nd birthday as fans remember him
Rapper Juice Wrld, who passed away tragically at the age of 21, would have turned 22 today if he were alive. Born on December 2, 1998 in Chicago, the rapper achieved worldwide fame after this song 'Lucid Dreams', which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and amassed over a billion streams of Spotify, becoming a global hit. In his short career, Juice released two studio albums, 'Goodbye & Good Riddance' and 'Death Race for Love'. The latter topped at Billboard 200 chart.
Fans and collaborators of the rapper remembered him on social media on the occasion of his 22nd birthday. Producer Benny Blanco, who worked with Juice on multiple occasions, dropped a new song titled 'Real S**t' in the rapper's memory. Taking to Instagram, Benny wrote, "... U were one of the sweetest / purest people i have ever met... ur talent was unmatched by anyone ..." the producer wrote. "U literally would just listen to a beat for 2 seconds then go in the booth and record 5 takes and say pick the best song... and then do that over like 10 beats... i would literally run out of beats... u were not a human... u were something else... something special... i’m thankful for the time we spent together... ur friends and family are in my prayers... luv u bro."
'Real S**t' follows Juice's posthumous record 'Smile' with The Weeknd. The late rapper's estate unleashed his 'Legends Never Die' album back in July, and are reportedly working on its follow-up.
How did Juice Wrld Die?
On December 8, 2019, Juice was on a private jet flying to Chicago where law enforcement officers were waiting for him to arrive. The officers had been informed by federal agents that they suspected guns and drugs on the plane. The officials later revealed they found three handguns and 70 lb of marijuana onboard. They also said that several members of Juice's management team on the flight told them that the rapper ingested "several unknown pills" including multiple Percocets.
Juice began convulsing and seizing after which two doses of an emergency medication were administered as an opioid overdose was suspected. He was transported to a nearby medical center where he was pronounced dead. Juice's funeral, held on December 13, 2019, was attended by Ski Mask the Slump God and Young Thug. On January 22, 2020, the Cook County Medical Examiner stated that Juice died as a result of toxic levels of oxycodone and codeine present in his system.
Following Juice’s death, the lyrics to his song ‘Legends’ — which was dedicated to XXXTentacion who was shot and killed in mid-2018 at age 20, and Lil Peep, who overdosed in late 2017 at age 21 — went viral. On ‘Legends’, Juice rapped “What's the 27 Club?/We ain't making it past 21." Fans and media outlets said that the rapper predicted his own death as he died only days after his 21st birthday. He also died exactly 39 years after The Beatles’ singer John Lennon whom he often mentioned in songs.