In this May 15, 2019 file photo, Juice WRLD performs in concert during his “Death Race for Love Tour” at The Skyline Stage at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. The Chicago-area rapper, whose real name is Jarad A. Higgins, was pronounced dead Sunday, Dec. 8 after a “medical emergency” at Chicago’s Midway International Airport, according to authorities. Chicago police said they’re conducting a death investigation. (Photo by Owen Sweeney / Invision /AP)
CHICAGO — Rapper Juice WRLD, who launched his career on SoundCloud before becoming a streaming juggernaut and rose to the top of the charts with the Sting-sampled hit “Lucid Dreams,” died Sunday after a “medical emergency” at Chicago’s Midway International Airport.
The rapper, whose legal name was Jarad A. Higgins, was 21. Authorities have not released details about his cause of death.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office was notified of Higgin’s death Sunday morning, according to office spokeswoman Natalia Derevyanny, who said an autopsy was likely Monday.
Chicago police launched a death investigation after a 21-year-old male experiencing a “medical emergency” was transported from Midway to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said the man experienced cardiac arrest and was taken to a hospital from a small hangar at Midway, away from the main terminal, where private planes land.
The artist, who was named top new artist at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards in May, was from the Chicago suburb of Homewood.
Like a good number of young hip-hop performers, Juice WRLD blended rapping and singing on his songs, sometimes mumbling words and focusing more on melody. His hit “Lucid Dreams,” which heavily samples Sting’s 1993 song “Shape of My Heart,” was a six-times platinum success and reached No. 2 on the all-genre Hot 100 chart. It reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts.
“I was very impressed by what he put on top of (my version),” Sting told The Associated Press this year. “It’s a really good song.”
Juice WRLD got his start on the music sharing platform SoundCloud before signing to a record label and finding major success on streaming services. His major-label debut album, “Goodbye & Good Riddance,” was a platinum success. It featured the hit “All Girls Are the Same,” which gained platinum status, alongside seven more platinum hits including “Armed & Dangerous,” “Robbery,” “Fine China” and “Legends,” which features the lyrics: “What’s the 27 Club?/We ain’t making it past 21.”
He’s had 10 songs reach gold status and also had success with 2018’s “Wrld on Drugs,” a collaborative album with rapper-singer-producer Future.
His second album, “Death Race for Love,” debuted on top of the Billboard charts this year and his most recent single, “Bandit” with YoungBoy Never Broke Again, reached the Top 10 of the pop charts in October.
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