Lil Peep‘s brother has called his untimely death “an accident” after the rapper died on Wednesday (November 15) following a suspected drug overdose, aged 21.

Lil Peep – real name Gustav Åhr – was taken to hospital after being found on his tour bus, where he later died.

The Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner has now confirmed the suspected cause of death to be a drug overdose. It will be six to eight weeks for toxicology results to determine a definitive cause of death.


The rapper’s brother Karl Åhr – who goes by the name Oskar – told People that the death was “an accident”, saying the drugs he took may have been laced with another substance.

“We [the family] have heard there was some sort of substance he did not expect to be involved in the substance he was taking,” Oskar told People.

“He thought he could take what he did, but he had been given something and he didn’t realise what it was.”

Oskar denied the possibility of an intentional overdose, saying: “It was an accident, it really was an accident. He was super happy with where he was in life.”

Addressing Lil Peep’s emo persona, he said his brother was “not as sad as people think he was”.


“He was so proud when he heard that there were people in the world who wanted to kill themselves, and then they didn’t because they listened to his music,” said Oskar.

“He was helping people, he was not somebody who needed help. He was not as sad as people think he was. It’s frustrating as someone who remembers a happy brother.”

He blames the hip-hop industry for putting pressure on artists to portray a certain image – involving the consumption of drink and drugs.

“My brother didn’t take five Xanax pills every day, but he would take them and then post on Instagram about it,” Oskar revealed.

“I wish it would have paid for him to be a little safer, but the world needed him to have superlative problems that he dealt with in superlative ways. Gus dealt with these problems much better than Lil Peep did, but people didn’t know Gus, and there’s a reason Gus doesn’t sell.”

He went on to say how he hopes his brother’s death will address the issue of drug abuse: “I hope there is some focus on drugs like Xanax and pills, in general, and the potential for them being laced, but I hope it isn’t too much associated with how people remember him.”

Lil Peep released his debut album ‘Come Over When You’re Sober (Part One)’ this September following widespread critical interest, with Pitchfork dubbing him “the future of emo” back in January.

He released his latest track ‘Avoid‘ last month.

Paper magazine recently shared a previously unpublished interview, which is being labelled his “final interview”. The late rapper discusses fame, sexuality and aims for the future.

For help with Addiction in the UK, you can visit the Action On Addiction website. In the US, visit Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or call 1-800-662-HELP.