TUCSON, AZ. (CelebrityAccess) — Gustav Ahr, a rapper and singer better known by his stage name Lil Peep, died on Wednesday while on tour in Tucson. He was 21.
According to the New York Times, a Tucson Police Department spokesman said that Peep was pronounced dead on his tour bus at approximately 9:30 PM, shortly before he had been scheduled to perform at a club called the Rock. Detectives found evidence suggesting that the rapper died of an overdose of the anti-anxiety medication Xanax, but an official cause of death has not been announced.
Lil Peep, who was one of the most successful artists to develop from the Soundcloud music sharing platform, fused elements of emo/post-hardcore rock and southern hip-hop into a unique style that led the New York Times to describe him as the Kurt Kobain of rap.
A native of Long Island, Åhr was raised in Long Beach, New York, and started posting his self-produced music, first on YouTube and then on Soundcloud, where he struck a chord with fans. In 2015, he released a pair of mixtapes — “Lil Peep Part 1” and “Live Forever.” In 2016, he followed their success with two more, “Hellboy” and “Crybaby” and then followed it up in 2017 with his debut album “Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt. 1.”
As he found success with his music, he was also candid about his struggles with drug use, often discussing it in frank terms in his music.
“They tell me that it saved their lives,” Ahr told Pitchfork in an interview earlier this year, describing the connection his music helped him make with his fans. “They say that I stopped them from committing suicide, which is a beautiful thing.”
