Following the tragic news of Juice WRLD's death on Sunday, his family has opened up about the rapper's struggles with addiction. In a statement shared with TMZ, Juice WRLD's mother, Carmella Wallace, was forthcoming about her son's use of drugs.
"We loved Jarad with all of our hearts and cannot believe our time with him has been cut short," she said. "As he often addressed in his music and to his fans, Jarad battled with prescription drug dependency." As Juice WRLD's private jet landed in Chicago on Sunday, the rapper allegedly swallowed multiple Perocets in an attempt to hide them from police searching his luggage. The rapper went into convulsions and then cardiac arrest as the search was carried out, prompting authorities to administer anti-overdose medication Narcan. He was then taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
"Addiction knows no boundaries and its impact goes way beyond the person fighting it," Wallace continued. "Jarad was a son, brother, grandson, friend and so much more to so many people who wanted more than anything to see him defeat addiction." She also thanked Juice WRLD's fans and friends for their support. "We know that Jarad's legacy of love, joy and emotional honesty will live on."
Sting, who had his song "Shape of My Heart" heavily sampled on Juice WRLD's breakthrough hit "Lucid Dreams," also paid his respects to the late rapper. "This is such a tragic loss for the world of music, a young life with so much potential and a unique and precious talent," Sting said in an interview with Billboard. "'Lucid Dreams' was my favorite of all the many interpolations of 'Shape of My Heart,' it will resonate for many years to come. My sincere condolences to the family."
Additionally, Sting denied that he was suing Juice WRLD for the "Shape of My Heart" sample. His spokesperson said it was "simply untrue."
