Hella Sketchy, a rising artist who had amassed more than 80,000 Instagram followers and millions of YouTube streams, died earlier this week.
The tragic news was confirmed by Hella Sketchy's father (Jacob Tyler Thureson), who tweeted out an extended statement on his son's passing, perHotNewHipHop.
"You are not supposed to go before your father or grandfather," Hella Sketchy's father Erik Thureson, a filmmaker, said in a five-part series of tweets Thursday. "That's not supposed to happen. That's not how this works. We have no words."
According to Erik, his son was found unresponsive on June 13 "from an apparent drug overdose" before being revived and transported to an emergency room where he remained in a coma for two weeks.
"Never in a million years would I have imagined that it would end like this," he said.
Adding that his son's life "was not and will not be in vain," Erik called for a reassessment of the national discourse surrounding the opioid epidemic, specifically with regards to the progress-preventing prevalence of judgment from others that contributes to an overall stigma surrounding the topic.
Hella Sketchy died June 27 at 5:11 a.m.
"What Happened" and "Two Cups," Hella Sketchy's most recent music video drops, were both taken from the 18-year-old artist and producer's self-titled project, which arrived back in March. The 12-track debut album also boasted collabs with Rico Nasty, Diablo, Warhol.SS, and Moneymarr.
Rico Nasty, who appeared on his "Shot Caller" track, shared a tribute message Thursday night:
Following requests from fans on how they could help the family with medical expenses and more, Erik linked out to a GoFundMe page a friend had launched in his memory.
His label APG/Atlantic also shared its condolences.
"The tragic passing of Hella Sketchy is a devastating loss," the statement said. "He was an enormously creative, sensitive soul with a brilliant sense of humor. He was just beginning to show the world his talent and originality, and it’s heartbreaking that such a bright future has been cut short."
