Rapper Juice WRLD Dies at 21 After Reportedly Having Seizure in Chicago Airport

Juice WRLD reportedly died on Sunday shortly after arriving at Chicago's Midway Airport

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Published on December 8, 2019 11:15 AM

Juice WRLD, a young rapper who previously toured with Nicki Minaj, has died, PEOPLE confirmed. He was 21.

The rapper, whose real name is Jarad Anthony Higgins, died on Sunday shortly after having a seizure at Chicago’s Midway Airport, according to a report from TMZ, which first reported on the news.

The outlet reported that the rapper remained conscious while en route to a local hospital, where he died shortly after.

Chicago police confirmed to the Chicago Sun-Times that a man, 21, had suffered a medical emergency at Chicago’s Midway Airport after disembarking from a private jet around 2 a.m. Police also confirmed the man was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.

A spokesperson for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE that he was pronounced dead at 3:14 a.m. on Sunday at Advocate Christ Medical Center and that they will be performing an autopsy.

His cause of death is not immediately known.

The Chicago Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for information.

The artist celebrated his 21st birthday on Dec. 2, just under a week before his death.

In the last Instagram post, which was shared on his account earlier this week, the rapper said that he planned to celebrate his special day “all week.”

“U were just giving me tips on how to battle my anxiety, rest easy juice,” fellow rapper Lil Tecca commented on the post after news of Juice’s death was announced.

“Damn man I’m sooo sorry,” added Lil Keed in a separate comment. “This s— is f— up and I wanna say u will be truly miss[ed] young king.”

Lil Yachty, who collaborated with Juice before his death, also posted a social media tribute, writing, “bye brother, love u dawg.. rip.

“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,” superstar Drake wrote alongside another tribute.

Juice first rose to fame in 2018, following the release of songs “Lucid Dreams” and “All Girls are the Same.” That year he released his debut studio album, Goodbye & Good Riddance.

The rapper was also featured on a track “No Bystanders” off of Travis Scott’s album AstroWorld.

Earlier this year, he released his second studio album, Death Race for Love, which debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart in March. This year, he also joined Minaj on her Nicki Wrld Tour as an opening act.