Musician, 21, woke up after receiving Narcan as police prepared to search his private plane but later died in hospital

This article is more than 9 months old

This article is more than 9 months old

Juice WRLD, the US rapper who died aged 21 on Sunday, was administered an opioid antidote shortly before his death as Chicago police prepared to search his private plane for drugs and guns.

An autopsy was conducted following his death but was inconclusive, with the city’s medical examiner’s office announcing that “the cause and manner of death are pending”, though foul play is not suspected.

According to the Chicago police spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi, agents met Juice WRLD’s private plane as it arrived in Chicago at about 2am on Sunday, following a tip-off that it was carrying drugs and guns.

During a search, a drug-sniffing dog discovered bags containing multiple bags of marijuana and bottles of prescription cough syrup – a codeine-based drug popular in the US rap scene – plus three guns, metal-piercing bullets and a high-capacity ammunition magazine.

Juice WRLD, real name Jarad Higgins, went into convulsions during the search. His girlfriend told agents he had been taking Percocet, an opioid painkiller. Authorities said that Higgins was administered the opioid antidote Narcan by a federal agent and Higgins was briefly revived, but after being rushed to hospital he died at 3.15am.

Unidentified sources told TMZ that Higgins was seen swallowing “several” Percocet pills before the police search, possibly in an attempt to hide the drugs from the authorities.

Two security guards who were part of Higgins’ 12-strong entourage were arrested on gun possession charges, and are due in court later this month. None of Higgins’ entourage admitted to carrying the drugs, but the luggage is being forensically examined to ascertain its owners.

Higgins, who was from the Chicago suburb of Homewood, was a hugely successful star in the US. His second album Death Race for Love topped the US charts in March, and his collaborative album with Future, Wrld on Drugs, reached No 2 in October 2018.

His single Lucid Dreams also reached No 2, and he performed alongside Nicki Minaj on a joint world tour this year.

Juice WRLD: the unapologetic rapper who helped define a new sound Read more

If he is found to have accidentally overdosed on opioid painkillers, he would be the third young, high-profile rapper to die in such a way in recent years. In November 2017 Lil Peep died aged 21 from an accidental overdose of fentanyl and the “benzo” drug alprazolam. Like Higgins, he frequently referred to drug use in emotional, soul-baring rap songs.

Mac Miller, a rapper who released five US Top 5 albums, died aged 26 in September 2018 of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol. He had previously been addicted to “lean” – a beverage made with the type of cough syrup found on Higgins’ jet – and to the sedative promethazine.

The US rap scene has weathered other sudden deaths in the past two years, including XXXTentacion, murdered aged 20 in June 2018, and Nipsey Hussle, murdered aged 33 in March 2019.