Future opens up about drug influence and Juice WRLD's death

Future has spoken about his reaction to the death of Juice WRLD, and addressed suggestions that he was a bad influence on the young rapper.

• Read More: Juice WRLD’s 20 greatest tracks

Juice WRLD, real name Jarad Higgins, died on December 8 at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn after experiencing cardiac arrest-like symptoms upon arriving at Chicago’s Midway Airport. Medical examiners later ruled he died of an accidental overdose of oxycodone and codeine.

Speaking to XXL, Future said: “It was heartbreaking about Juice. Still to this day, I’m heartbroken. Rest in peace to Juice WRLD. He’s a great artist. He had so much more to do.”

Juice WRLD previously spoke on how he credited Future for introducing him for lean. “That’s the first thing I told [Future],” Juice said in a 2018 interview with Vulture. “He just was like, ‘Wow.’ He kind of apologized.”

When asked whether he felt any guilt about on the matter, Future pointed out that he wasn’t the only influence on the rapper.

“So many people that came before me that talked about drugs, from rock ’n’ roll stars to pop stars,” he said, adding that he may have “brought more attention to it from my cadence or my charisma.”

Future admitted it was a “touchy situation”, but added: “Me having an influence on that, I just feel like…that is not my intentions. My intention was just to be me. I’m just being me and what you get from it is what you get from it.”

Last month (March 28) Future donated masks to healthcare workers and coronavirus patients via his charity foundation.

The rapper has teamed up his charity organisation – FreeWishes Foundation – with Atlanta Sewing Style to make masks for healthcare workers and patients who have been hospitalised with COVID-19.

Atlanta Sewing Style is a community of over 500 local designers who will create and sow the masks before delivering them all to local hospitals.