Juice WRLD's Family Breaks Silence Over The Rapper's Sudden Death: 'Addiction Knows No Boundaries'

Juice WRLD‘s family is speaking out in the wake of the rapper’s sudden death.

As we reported earlier this week, the 21-year-old entertainer (born as Jarad Higgins) suffered a seizure and died shortly after exiting a jet at Chicago’s Midway International Airport on Sunday, December 8.

In a new statement issued to TMZ on Thursday, Juice’s mother Carmella Wallace expressed sadness over her son’s passing and spoke candidly of his history with substance abuse.

The grieving matriarch began her statement:

“We loved Jarad with all of our hearts and cannot believe our time with him has been cut short. As he often addressed in his music and to his fans, Jarad battled with prescription drug dependency.”

The Lucid Dreams artist did not hide his drug use from fans, often singing and rapping about popping Percocet pills in his records.

Wallace explained Juice rapped about his struggles with addiction in hopes of reaching fans who might be suffering in silence with similar issues, dispelling the notion he promoted irresponsible drug use as some critics have pointed out. She continued:

“Addiction knows no boundaries and its impact goes way beyond the person fighting it. 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.”

Loved ones of the late musician believe his story can help others make smarter decisions when gambling with narcotics moving forward. The message continued:

“We hope the conversations he started in his music and his legacy will help others win their battles as that is what he wanted more than anything.”

Carmella wrapped by thanking Juice WRLD’s fans, friends, and extended family for their support during the incredibly difficult time:

“We know that Jarad’s legacy of love, joy and emotional honesty will live on.”

Such an unfortunate tragedy that could have possibly been avoided…

According to the outlet, law enforcement officials claimed “people on the plane” told them the up-and-coming artist “popped several pills” while still on board, prior to suffering seizures inside the terminal. Additionally, a bottle of codeine cough syrup — which can be mixed with soda to create a dangerous drink called “lean” or “sizzurp”– along with several handguns and 70 pounds of weed were recovered as evidence from the aircraft.

At this point, it’s unclear if the investigation into Juice’s death is still ongoing. However, the star’s passing has certainly reignited a conversation about the glorification of drug use in rap music that’s still prevalent today. We hope other performers heed this warning and think twice before going down a similar path or encouraging others to do so, too.

Our thoughts and prayers remain with his family, friends, and loved ones during the aftermath of this tragedy. R.I.P.

[Image via Juice WRLD/Instagram]