Juice Wrld’s Mother Releases Statement on His Birthday

Juice Wrld would have turned 22 years old today, and his mother has released a statement in honor of her beloved son’s birthday.

This afternoon (Dec. 2), Juice’s mom, Carmela Wallace, posted a note via the late Chicago rapper’s Instagram page paying homage to him and their birthday rituals.

“Jared and I both loved celebrating our birthdays—mine is just two weeks before his,” she began. “On our special days we used to wish one another Happy Birthday dozens and dozens of times throughout the day. Now I like to think of all the ‘Happy Birthdays’ we saved for the future. Jared would have been 22 years old today. He will forever be the light of my life. Today, we celebrate him, his immense talent and creativity and his contributions to the world. Through his art, he spoke his truth.”

Juice Wrld‘s memory lives on through his music, but his mother is also ensuring that he is remembered in other ways. Last month, Wallace launched the website LiveFree999.org, which offers resources for youth struggling with mental health issues, similar to her son. The mission of the website is to raise awareness for mental health challenges, but also offer assistance in improving one’s mental health.

Wallace, who has spoken openly about her son’s battle with drug addiction, anxiety and depression, also started the Live Free 999 Fund back in April. The fund offers financial support for “programs that help people find positive avenues to process their mental health challenges just like Jarad did with his music” and “programs that compassionately and successfully address addiction, anxiety, and depression.”

Juice Wrld tragically died of an accidental overdose of oxycodone and codeine on Dec. 8, 2019. Just before his death, Juice suffered from a seizure after landing at Chicago’s Midway International Airport. The Legends Never Die rhymer had taken a private flight from California prior to arriving in the Windy City, his hometown, where he was set to celebrate his birthday. He was 21 years old.