Mere days after the tragic passing of US musician Juice WRLD, the internet appears to have birthed a conspiracy theory that the 21-year-old faked his death.
For the last few days, the music world has been coming to terms with the premature death of 21-year-old Juice WRLD, the musical moniker of Jarad Anthony Higgins.
According to initial reports, the artist’s private flight landed at Chicago’s Midway airport shortly after 1am on Sunday, December 8th, where witnesses claim he suffered a seizure. Law enforcement also stated he had been bleeding from the mouth by the time paramedics arrived.
Although an initial autopsy was unable to determine an official cause of death, the circumstances surrounding his passing have begun to “fill in some blanks”, according to some reports, who note that law officials had been on hand to search the musician’s plane for drugs after his arrival.
However, despite the exact cause of his tragic passing being left up for debate at the current time, folks over on the video-sharing app TikTok are trying to comes to term with his death, positing that Juice WRLD has in fact faked his own demise.
As Vice points out, users on both TikTok and Reddit’s r/Conspiracy group have shared their belief that either Juice WRLD did not pass away as reported, or that he in fact faked his death and is still alive.
Although faking one’s death is an enduring concept that has baffled fans of performers – such as the late Andy Kaufman – for decades, the most damning “evidence” for such a claim comes from the late artist himself.
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Most fans are closely basing their theory on a Tweet shared by Juice WRLD back in 2017, where he outlined that his “goal is to get overly famous, shine for a couple years..then fake my death.”
Check out Juice WRLD’s 2017 Tweet:
My goal is to get overly famous, shine for a couple years..then fake my death ⚰
— . (@JuiceWorlddd) April 25, 2017
Undoubtedly a jarring message in hindsight, fans have continued to trawl through the artist’s lyrics for more clues, with his song ‘Legends’ – which includes the line “What’s the 27 club?/We ain’t making it past 21” – being used as some form of proof.
However, it doesn’t stop there. One person reportedly claimed they called the hospital he had been admitted to, only to receive word that no one by the name of Jarad Anthony Higgins was admitted, while another claims that his private plane never landed in Chicago, and instead found its way over to the Caribbean.
Others also point out the fact that lyrics to the song ‘All Girls Are The Same’ sees Juice WRLD noting that “I’m a jealous boy, really feel like John Lennon”. Considering that both John Lennon and Juice both passed away on December 8th, theorists are noting that it’s a little too coincidental.
Of course, the most likely explanation is that once you trawl through lyrics, Tweets, and all manner of events, you can begin to form your own narrative about what you think may have happened.
While rumours of faked deaths have plagued the legacy of great musicians such as Elvis Presley, Tupac Shakur, and Jim Morrison, these theories are simply just a last-ditch effort to find some understanding in the midst of a tragic event.
Juice WRLD was last in Australia in late November, performing his final concert as part of the Spilt Milk festival in Ballarat. Our thoughts go out to his friends, family, and colleagues at this difficult time.
Check out ‘Lucid Dreams’ by Juice WRLD:
