Obituary for Gustav Ahr (a.k.a. Lil Peep) | 1996 - 2017

By Madilyn B.

Gustav Ahr, The famous singer whose emotional, downtrodden lyrics gained a cult following online, died of a suspected drug overdose Wednesday night, November 15, 2017 in Tucson, Arizona. He was 21 and was found dead before a scheduled performance.

Sgt. Pete Dugan says evidence pointed to an overdose of the anti-anxiety medication Xanax, although no official cause of death has been announced, High school students at Airport Highschool recently have had an uproar about lil peep and his music, Lil peep is frequently mentioned because of his music about mental health, and emotional expression. High school students or teenagers in general often connect with his music's themes of heartbreak, depression, and anxiety and tend to relate to his music. 

Lil peep, Born Gustav Elijah Ahr, was a rapper and a singer as well as a songwriter. He was a member of the hip-hop collective GothBoiClique, he made emo and punk rock music mixed with hiphop, Gus was born in AllenTown, Pennsylvania on November 1, 1996 to an American mother and a Swedish father and raised on Long Island, Gus started making music on SoundCloud in 2013 under the name ¨Trap Goose¨, he later changed his stage name to Lil peep because his mother had called him Peep since he was a baby, In 2015 he emerged as a popula musician on the same platform which he released ¨Star Shopping¨¨, his popularity grew with his release of mixtapes. With tattoos covering his body and parts of his face and a shock of blonde hair, Ahr's striking appearance caught the fashion world's attention. He made runway appearances for several labels in Europe and his ambitions in that realm rivaled his dreams for his rap career. "I think the fashion world really needs me right now," he told GQ in August.

Lil Peep´s first live performance was a member of schemeposse on February 12, 2016 in Tucson, Arizona, In the spring of 2017, Lil Peep embarked on his first solo tour, performing to packed venues in three Russian cities, making his way across western Europe, and then across the United States, Lil Peep was drawn to music and traveling as a form of escape and connection, Gus strugged wth depression and anxiety and found solance in creating music and exploring the world to escape his problems, ¨They tell me that it saved their lives,” he said, describing what his fans told him about his music. “They say that I stopped them from committing suicide, which is a beautiful thing.”  “It’s great for me to hear,” he continued. “It helps. It boosts me, because music saved my life as well.”

Sarah Stennett, who runs first access entertainment, a company that had worked with Gus said in a statement that she was ¨shocked and heartbroken¨”

¨He was highly intelligent, hugely creative, massively charismatic, gentle and charming," she said. "He had huge ambition and his career was flourishing."

his pioneering role in the emo rap genre, which blended hip hop and emo music, and his influence on youth culture through his emotional lyrics and distinctive fashion. His contributions lie in reviving the emo scene, creating a raw and vulnerable lyrical style that resonated with many, and sparking important conversations about mental health and prescription drug abuse following his untimely death.

In her statement Thursday, Stennett passed along comments by Ahr’s mother.

“She asked me to convey that she is very, very proud of him and everything he was able to achieve in his short life,” Stennett wrote. “She is truly grateful to the fans and the people who have supported and loved him.”

“It’s like professional wrestling — everyone has to be a character,” he told the music website Pitchfork.

Gustav Ahr, Lil Peep, was deeply and dearly loved by his family and friends, Gustav is survived by his Mother,Liza Womacks  as well as His brother Karl "Oskar" Åhr, Though Gus did not have much family he had and still has billion of fans to cheer him on from down below, along with his family, keeping his fate strong and his legacy true, he is gone but never forgotten. 

You are invited to share your condolences for Gustav Ahr. Following the rapper's death in 2017, a memorial space appeared for Lil Peep (Gustav Elijah Åhr) in Tucson, Arizona, outside The Rock, the venue where he was scheduled to perform his last show. The tribute is a wall covered in graffiti and messages, where candles and other mementos are often left by fans, feel free to visit and leave a blessing for this sweet young man, from being everyone's everything to nothing but a memory,  his life suddenly cut, but his fans will never forget him and they will continue to carry his pride. 

Much of the information in this article came from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/16/obituaries/lil-peep-dead.html.