Authorities in Tucson, Arizona, have reported that 21-year-old rapper Lil Peep’s death was likely the result of a drug overdose.
Lil Peep, real name Gustav Ahr, was found dead on his tour bus Wednesday night around 9pm MT, before a scheduled show in Tucson. Sgt. Pete Dugan told the Associated Press that Xanax was the suspected cause, though a full toxicology report will take six to eight weeks.
That same night an Instagram story started circulating from fellow rapper Bexey, who was on tour with Lil Peep. We won’t link to the video, but it shows Bexey going into a room on the tour bus where he thinks Lil Peep is working out, and finding him slumped on a couch with his head thrown back and mouth open. He appears blue. Bexey looks back at the camera and says, “Oh.”
The footage was re-uploaded, and many fans claimed the video showed Lil Peep’s dead body. Bexey was called out for not helping his friend, but he defended himself in a follow-up video, saying he thought he was asleep.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbjE5vuBy13/?hl=en&taken-by=bexeyswan
It’s not clear how much time elapsed between Bexey’s video and when authorities were called. Law enforcement told TMZ that his manager checked on him at 8:50pm, and he was dead.
Sarah Stennett, CEO of First Access Entertainment, Lil Peep’s management team, released this statement:
I am shocked and heartbroken. I do not believe Peep wanted to die, this is so tragic. He had big goals and dreams for the future, which he had shared with me, his team, his family, and his friends. He was highly intelligent, hugely creative, massively charismatic, gentle, and charming. He had huge ambition and his career was flourishing.
I have spoken to his mother and she has 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.