Lil Peep: Police Investigate ‘Suspicious Death’ of 21-Year-Old Rapper
Almost two weeks after Lil Peep was found dead from a suspected drug overdose, local authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the rising emo-rap star’s death. Sergeant Pete Dugan from the Tucson, Arizona Police Department confirmed the investigation to Rolling Stone, emphasizing that the musician’s death cannot be ruled an overdose until the toxicology report comes back in six to eight weeks.
“It appeared to have been an overdose from evidence found near his body – most likely from Xanax or a combination of different drugs,” Dugan said. “But we’re not medical examiners. We have to wait for a toxicology report. Until we get that, we don’t know the cause of death.”
On Wednesday, TMZ reported that police are investigating a series of text messages sent from a woman named Mariah Bons, who reportedly visited Peep’s tour bus shortly before he died. One of the alleged texts reads, “GBC [Lil Peep] high af because of me and my friend lol.” Another message reads, “He passed the fuck out my brother called and I tried to get him to say hi to my brother but he wouldn’t wake up.”
Dugan told Rolling Stone that detectives are currently “looking into the allegations that somebody was linked to his death.” However, he added, “it will really boil down to what was in his system.”
Lil Peep – real name Gustav Åhr – was pronounced dead on his tour bus on Wednesday, November 15th at approximately 9:00 p.m. local time. Detectives discovered evidence suggesting he died from an overdose of anti-anxiety medication Xanax, The New York Times reported.
Dugan says the police consider it a “suspicious death,” given Åhr was too young to die from natural causes and the narcotics surrounding his body at the time of death. “[It] appeared to be from an overdose based on the evidence found and no signs of trauma or foul play to his body,” Dugan told Rolling Stone.
TMZ previously reported that police were investigating the possibility that the potent opioid fentanyl contributed to Åhr’s death. A representative for the rapper declined to speak on the allegations surrounding the rapper’s death, but noted that she spoke to Åhr in Cleveland one week before his death to confirm the performer’s 2018 plans.
A memorial celebrating Åhr’s life will take place Saturday, December 2nd at 2:00 p.m. EST at the Allegria Hotel in Long Beach, New York. The event will feature speakers followed by a public beach gathering in front of the hotel.
Åhr built a devoted following in his brief career, earning praise for his innovative blend of rap production and guitar-based emo. He issued a string of Bandcamp mixtapes over the past two years, from 2015’s Lil Peep Part One to his most recent, this fall’s Come Over When You’re Sober Pt. 1.
Despite his quick rise to fame, the rapper admitted he struggled with drug abuse and suicidal thoughts. “I suffer from depression and some days I wake up and I’m like, ‘Fuck, I wish I didn’t wake up,'” he told Pitchfork. “That was part of why I moved to California; trying to get away from the place that was doing that to me, and the people I was around. I realized it was just myself – it’s a chemical imbalance in my brain.”
Additional reporting by Sarah Grant