Family and friends of late rapper Juice Wrld reportedly gathered in the Chicago area for a private funeral on Friday, December 13.
The service was held at Holy Temple Cathedral Church of God in Christ in Harvey, Illinois, a suburb of the rapper’s hometown of Chicago, according to TMZ.
Wrld’s mother, Carmella Wallace, honored her son at the funeral, along with his grandmother, siblings and other family members. Fellow rapper and close friend Ski Mask the Slump God and executives from Interscope Records, Wrld’s record label, were also reportedly in attendance.
The funeral services came nearly one week after Wlrd, whose birth name was Jarad Higgins, died on December 8 at the age 21 after suffering a seizure at Chicago Midway Airport.
The rapper, whose song “Lucid Dreams” hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 2018, was walking through the airport when the incident occurred. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to authorities.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has yet to determine his cause of death, but Wrld’s family released a statement on Thursday, December 12, about his struggle with prescription drug addiction.
“We loved Jarad with all of our hearts and cannot believe our time with him has been cut short,” Wallace told TMZ. “As he often addressed in his music and to his fans, Jarad battled with prescription drug dependency. Addiction knows no boundaries and its impact goes way beyond the person fighting it.”
She continued, “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. 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. We know that Jarad‘s legacy of love, joy and emotional honesty will live on.”
Wrld’s former tour member, Nicki Minaj, paid tribute to the rapper at the Billboard Women in Music ceremony on Thursday. The two toured together on Minaj’s Nicki Wrld Tour — Wrld’s first and last tour — in Europe earlier this year.
“I had a great conversation with him one day and while we walked to the stage, he held my hand and told me to stay calm and to pray,” the “Super Bass” rapper, 36, said. “He said he had been trying to do just that. I felt like he was a kindred spirit, and looking back now, I wish I did something differently or said something to help.”
Minaj went on to speak about Wrld’s love for his girlfriend and his passion for music before touching on his battle with drug dependency.
“When he was in the studio with me, he did so many songs so quickly. He was honest and pure about what he felt and that inspired me,” she continued. “I want to tell everyone that drugs isn’t the problem, it’s the way we fix our problem. So, it’s so important that we don’t pass judgment so that people don’t feel ashamed to speak up and ask for help.”
