Footage of Juice Wrld hours before his death | Video - NEWS.com.au

Late hip-hop star Juice Wrld appeared in “high spirits” in footage taken hours before he suffered a fatal medical episode and died, according to his pal.

The 21-year-old rapper, whose real name is Jarad A. Higgins, was seen joking around with friends on a private jet taking them to Chicago’s Midway Airport early Sunday morning.

“This was Juice Wrld as he got on the plane that took him to Chicago last night. He was in high spirits and looked happy,” posted YouTuber DJ Akademiks along with footage from the rapper’s final hours.

The Chicago-born entertainer went into cardiac arrest shortly after 2am at the airport’s private hangar and was rushed to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, the Chicago Tribunereported.

Other reports said the rapper had suffered a seizure at the airport and started bleeding from the mouth.

No cause of death has been determined, but an autopsy is set to take place tomorrow, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Police said there were no signs of foul play and the other passengers aboard the aircraft are co-operating with authorities.

His girlfriend, Ally Lotti, also appeared to have joined the rapper for the flight before his fatal medical episode. She posted video to her Instagram story on Saturday night of the group boarding the private plane.

Lotti marked the rapper’s 21st birthday earlier in the week with a post on Twitter.

“this is ur second birthday i spent (with you) and im so grateful,” she wrote. “(you) deserve so much im so proud of you and everything you’ve accomplished this past (year). there is not a soul that could match your energy. ily ‘endlessly’(sic)”

Juice Wrld’s death has shocked fans and came weeks after he toured Australia – his second visit Down Under in less than a year.

The rapper’s record label said he had “made a profound impact on the world in such a short period of time.”

“He was a gentle soul, whose creativity knew no bounds, an exceptional human being and artist who loved and cared for his fans above everything else,” Interscope Records tweeted. “To lose someone so kind and so close to our hearts is devastating. Our thoughts are with Juice’s family and friends, everyone at his label Grade A, and his millions of fans around the world.”

The artist, who was named top new artist at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards in May, lived in the Chicago suburb of Homewood where he stood out as a musician early on.

Juice Wrld turned 21 only days earlier. He was only two years out of high school.

He had a growing fanbase in Australia and toured last month, playing at Hordern Pavilion in Sydney and Festival Hall in Melbourne.

Earlier this year, he had appeared at Falls Festival in January.

On his 21st birthday, the rapper partied on a boat in Sydney and wrote on Instagram: “Yesterday was my actual bday im celebrating all week doe 999 s**t.”

His high school, Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School, paid tribute to Juice Wrld, calling him a “brilliant” and “creative” student.

“He is remembered by his teachers and staff as being a brilliant and creative student,” a spokeswoman for the school said.

“Jared was extraordinarily talented in music and played many instruments.

“He was a caring and outgoing person who always tried to reach out to others while at the same time he was introspective and had a great sense of humour.”

Speaking to The New York Times in 2018, Juice Wrld said that he used the prescription drug Xanax heavily as a teenager but was aiming to curb his drug use.

“I have a lot going for me, I recognise it’s a lot of big things, a lot of big looks. I want to be there, and you don’t have to overdose to not be there,” he told The Times.

Among those paying tribute to Juice Wrld today was Drake, who said: “I would like to see all the younger talent live longer and I hate waking up hearing another story filled with blessings was cut short.”

Lil Nas simply said: “RIP juice”. Rapper Lil Yachty — who featured Juice Wrld on “Yacht Club” said: “Wow, I cannot believe this”. “Rip my brother juice world,” he tweeted.

This article originally appeared on Page Six and was reproduced with permission

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