Juice WRLD’s death was caused by an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. The “Lucid Dreams” rapper, whose birth name was Jarad A. Higgins, died from oxycodone and codeine toxicity, the Cook County’s Medical Examiner’s Office revealed on Wednesday (Jan. 22).
The 21-year-old recording artist suffered a seizure at a private hanger at Chicago Midway airport after his plane landed on Dec. 8, 2019. He was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill.
Federal authorities reportedly confiscated 70 pounds of marijuana found in luggage on the private plane that flew Juice WRLD and his entourage from Los Angeles to California. Authorities are unlikely to file criminal charges because no one claimed ownership of the weed.
Juice WRLD was candid about his battle with addiction and vowed to kick his codeine addiction last summer. “Addiction kills but you can overcome,” he tweeted in July 2019.
In an emotional statement released a few days after his death, Juice WRLD’s mother addressed her son’s struggle with substance abuse. “Addiction knows no boundaries and it’s impact goes way beyond the person fighting it,” she said. “Jarod was a son, brother, grandson, friend and so much more to so many people who wanted more than anything to see him defeat addiction.”