New York-based rap star Lil Peep has died at the age of 21 after a suspected drug overdose.
The YouTuber, who was a pioneer of the burgeoning emo/hip-hop scene, was found dead in his tour bus in Tucson, Arizona on Wednesday night (local time).
Tour staff said Lil Peep - real name Gustav Ahr - had failed to appear for a sound check ahead of a gig, and was found unconscious at about 9pm. Emergency services were unable to revive him.
Sergeant Pete Dugan of the Tuscon Police Department told The Los Angeles Times that based on paraphernalia found at the scene, the suspected cause of death was an overdose on anti-anxiety drug Xanax.
A music video for hit single 'Awful Things' featured clips of empty bottles of antibiotics and a tattoo that reads ominously, "Ash is our purest form".
Lil Peep's manager Chase Ortega, presumably aware of the hip-hop artist's drug problem, wrote on Twitter that he'd been expecting a call notifying him of Lil Peep's death "for a year".
Tributes have poured in for the young star since news of his death emerged, with model and former girlfriend Bella Thorne and rappers Post Malone, Marshmello, Lil B and Lil Pump all offering their sympathies.
Lil Peep made a name for himself on video-sharing platform YouTube, where his subscribers numbered 350,000. The music video for 'Awful Things' had received more than 12 million views.
Newshub.
