On the Spot: Juice WRLD leaves mixed legacy after untimely death (with video)

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Camila Flores

Coppell High School sophomore Mariana Lozano listens to music by rapper Jarad Higgins also known as JUICE WRLD on Tuesday. Higgins died on Sunday, Dec. 8 in Chicago’s Midway International Airport due to a seizure.

Anjali Krishna, Staff Writer

Forty-one bags of marijuana, six bottles of prescription codeine syrup and one dead rapper were the result of Chicago Police’s search of the rapper Juice WRLD’s luggage at a private hangar at Midway Airport on Sunday.

Officers from the Chicago Police Department awaited the private plane carrying Juice WRLD and his entourage with the suspicions that the plane flying in from Los Angeles carried illegal contraband. As the authorities searched his luggage, Juice WRLD began to convulse due to a seizure, prompting an agent to administer Narcan, an emergency treatment for opioid abuse. The 21-year-old rapper woke incoherent and paramedics took him to Advocate Christ Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. He is suspected to have consumed several pills of Percocet to hide them from law enforcement.

“I think his drug use was awful and led to his death so it shows the youth of today how bad drugs can be,” Coppell High School sophomore Wes Booker said. “He was trying to back off of drugs and tell other people too. They truly affect one’s health even though using them somehow means you’re ‘cool’ it’s a teaching moment when someone we admire dies. Drug use is normalized in pop culture today and those drawn to the rap world, even at CHS may feel tempted to use the drugs that are so popularized about in songs. The world of drugs is glorified but terrifying things like this are wake up calls.”

Juice WRLD joins popular artists XXXTentacion and Mac Miller as another prodigy dying young. Juice WRLD was a rising star in the world of rap, most popular for his hit “Lucid Dreams.” After his death, the artist received an outpouring of support on social media from fans and fellow musicians.

“I would like to see all the younger talent live longer and I hate waking up hearing another story filled with blessings was cut short,” said rapper Drake on Instagram.

After an inconclusive autopsy on Monday, the Cook County medical examiner’s office determined it would need to conduct further testing to find the cause of death and toxicology reports to ascertain that his death was drug related. For now, cause of death remains a mystery.

“Juice WRLD left a lasting impression on the world,” Coppell High School sophomore Aryan Veluru said. “Even though there are thoughts that he hasn’t actually died or killed himself on purpose due to the marijuana found in his luggage, he was a legend for the music he made. He really let all of his problems out in his songs and that helped a lot of people in desperate times of need. When I was sad I could listen to his music and it would make me feel better. Juice had a way of putting his problems into music and I don’t know what I’ll do without what I got from that.”

Due to a popular conspiracy video on TikTok, several of Juice WRLD’s younger fans believe that Juice WRLD’s death was faked.

“There was a trend going around on TikTok where kids would use the sound ‘Lucid Dreams’ to fake seizures and make funny videos where you would spit out water when the music would seem to glitch and play repeatedly,” Coppell High School sophomore Grace Turman said. “I have seen the TikToks and it’s too big a coincidence. I think he faked his death, but if it was an overdose, that’s another rapper gone from drugs. We need to fix that culture because we see it around CHS too.”

The rapper’s girlfriend, Ally Lotti reportedly told the police Juice WRLD “takes Percocet and has a drug problem.” Juice WRLD was open about his addiction, famously known for his promise to swear off codeine for his girlfriend on Twitter.

You’ve put up with more than ppl know I know I be scaring you … Codeine I’m done. Learn from this everyone,”Juice WRLD tweeted. “Addiction kills all but you can overcome.”

Others on the plane claimed that the rapper took “several unknown pills” on the flight.

“When you look at a rapper, there’s a stereotype that they all do drugs and when you’re up and coming in the rap game, influence hits you, and to link up with other artists to make more songs and music, you’ll do things you never thought you would do,” Veluru said. “If we talk about the person Juice WRLD is, maybe he’s not that good of a person, but what he conveyed through his music impacted a lot of people. We can’t judge him for this one mistake he’s made over the millions of good things he’s done for people and students here at CHS.”

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