Beloved rapper Gustav Ahr, better known as Lil Peep, passed away on November 15th in Tucson, Arizona. The twenty-one year old artist, who was scheduled to perform at 5:45 on the night of his death, had reportedly been taking a nap while under heavy influence of drugs before his show. His manager had checked on him, while Gustav was breathing normally, but when the same manager checked again, he found  Lil Peep unresponsive. Lil Peep’s death created a widespread sadness across his fan base, and stirred up discussion of important topics, such as depression and drug abuse.

Many Lil Peep fans keep Gustav Ahr’s spirit alive through his lyrics. Terra Linda’s Lil Peep fans are devastated by his death, and hope to spread positivity during such a sad time, recognizing that he was a loving man with brilliant ideas. One anonymous fan at TL, once devoted to the most popular artists, found Lil Peep on Spotify and now claims to “listen to him 24/7.” She also says, “He had so much going for him and he had so much potential to be a mainstream rapper like the ones I used to listen to. He became my favorite artist. His music really spoke to me in ways other artists couldn’t and he helped me and other people get through so much in life. Rest in peace Lil Peep.” She claims his deep lyrics brought out emotions in her that helped her better understand the struggles of many other teenagers. Her favorite song by Lil Peep, “Kiss,” contains lyrics that show common teenage difficulties such as feelings of loneliness, confusion, and heartbreak, for example, “I’m a freak that’s why nobody’s friends with me, I used to wait in my room for a single sign from you, said I hate you cause I knew you’d never love me too.”

Police reports show that Lil Peep had overdosed on Marijuana and Xanax, as well as an unidentified ‘tan powder.” Rumors on social media lead Gustav Ahr’s fans to believe that the artist had gotten a hold of Xanax pills laced with other substances that could have been a major contribution to his death. These claims all involve one female named Mariah Bons. Bons supposedly bought the drugs for Lil Peep, and she admitted to giving the drugs to him saying, “[Lil Peep] Got high [expletive] because of me and my friend lol.” This quote was a direct message Bons sent on Instagram to Lil Peep’s friends, where she was trying to explain that she had been the one who supplied him with the drugs. Camera footage provided proof for this theory by showing Bons visited Lil Peep’s trailer before his life ended. Notably, Xanax alone has the potential to kill someone, and the rumors spread by  Mariah may just be publicity stunts.

Whether or not any of the spiraling conspiracies of Lil Peep’s death being intentional are true, recognizing the overall bigger picture of Ahr’s death clarifies that depression and drug abuse are major issues. Depression is a widespread issue across the world, that affects people of all ages. Teenagers are especially affected by depression, and studies show that one in five teenagers are depressed. Lil Peep was familiar with depression and drug abuse, and considering that many of his lyrics are about drugs and depression, his fanbase was very aware of this. He admitted to praying he would not wake up in the morning, saying only music gave him a will to live. Ahr was known to post captions on social media and write lyrics with deep meanings that showed he was an unhappy person with a concerning drug issue. One of his songs, called “Crybaby,” which is among his most popular songs, contains lyrics stating “I wanna die too, we all wanna die too, I got this vibe, I swear she love getting high, too; I love getting high, too”. His lyrics imply suicidal thoughts, and that he used drugs as a way out of feeling like death is a solution. As many know, suicide is not a solution, rather a spreading of one person’s unhappiness to all of the people who loved them. Despite these lyrics, police reports have concluded that Lil Peep’s death was not an intentional suicide.

If you or someone you love is struggling with depression or drug abuse, call the numbers below for help.

Suicide Hotline- 1-800-273-8255

Drug Abuse Hotline-1-877-568-2601

Crisis Hotline-(775) 784-8090