Lil Peep Dead From Potential Fentanyl Overdose, Police Say

Arizona police are reportedly considering the role opioids may have played in the death of rapper Lil Peep. The New York-based artist was found unconscious, at the age of 21, on his tour bus Nov. 15 just before he was set to perform.

Authorities launched an investigation after they received word that the rapper may have mixed drugs laced with fentanyl, a strong opioid used to relieve pain, TMZ reported Monday. The same drug was reportedly connected to the death of musician Prince, who died in April from an accidental overdose of prescription fentanyl.

Police reportedly discovered marijuana, Xanax pills, and an unknown tan powder on Lil Peep’s tour bus. The young rapper's death shocked his family. His brother, Karl Ahr, who goes by Oskar, told People during a Nov. 17 interview that his brother’s death was an accident.

"We have heard there was some sort of substance that he did not expect to be involved in the substance he was taking," Oskar said. "He thought he could take what he did, but he had been given something and he didn't realize what it was. It was an accident, it really was an accident, he was super happy with where he was in life."

Lil Peep, whose birth name is Gustav Ahr, released his debut album "Come Over When You're Sober" on Aug. 15. His lyrics often described drug use, with an emphasis on prescription pills. He would sometimes talk about drugs on social media, according to his brother.

"My brother didn’t take five Xanax pills every day, but he would take them and then post on Instagram about it," Oskar said. "I wish it would have paid for him to be a little safer, but the world needed him to have superlative problems that he dealt with in superlative ways. Gus dealt with these problems much better than Lil Peep did, but people didn’t know Gus, and there’s a reason Gus doesn’t sell."

Lil Peep is often referred to as an "emo" rapper who was close with his fans. He came out as bisexual on Twitter in August, shortly before he released his album. The rapper tweeted: "yes I’m bi sexual."

"My goal in music is to save people’s lives like how my life was saved," he said in a May interview with XXL. "I was very suicidal and depressed and I was addicted to some drugs and a lot of different artists helped me get out of that with their direct lyrics. It’s amazing how specific some lyrics are. Sometimes you feel like an artist is talking directly to you. That’s what I try to do with my music. I try to think about different problems people are having."