H-F HS mourns rapper Juice Wrld, dead at 21

The Homewood-Flossmoor High School community is mourning the loss Sunday morning of music phenomenon and 2017 graduate Jarad Anthony Higgins. 

Higgins, aka Juice Wrld, was a fast-rising star in the rap music world. He died early Sunday after suffering an apparent seizure at Midway airport.

TMZ first reported his death, noting the seizure occurred shortly after the rapper had deplaned and was walking through the airport.

The Chicago Sun-Times confirmed that emergency responders were called to the airport, and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office later confirmed Higgins’ death at 3:14 a.m.

H-F High School spokeswoman Jodi Bryant said counseling services would be available to assist students who are grieving Higgins’ death.

“He is remembered by his teachers and staff as being a brilliant and creative student,” she said. “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 humor. Jared connected with many staff and students while he was a H-F Viking and he will be truly missed.”

According to media reports, Higgins began developing his music early in his career at H-F, recording himself on a cell phone and uploading his early work to SoundCloud, a music social media site.

His career began to take off in late 2017, and his 2018 release “Lucid Dreams” was one of the top streaming songs of 2018. His first album, “Goodbye & Good Riddance,” was certified platinum.

His meteoric rise continued in 2019. His second album, “Death Race for Love,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in March.