Young rapper Hella Sketchy died at age 18 of an apparent overdose on Thursday.
“The tragic passing of Hella Sketchy is a devastating loss. He was an enormously creative, sensitive soul with a brilliant sense of humor,” APG / Atlantic Records confirmed in a statement on Friday. “He was just beginning to show the world his talent and originality, and it’s heartbreaking that such a bright future has been cut short. Everyone at APG and Atlantic sends our deepest condolence to his family, friends and fans.”
The father of the rising SoundCloud artist, whose real name is Jacob Tyler Thureson, posted a series of tweets and photos announcing the devastating news.
“You are not supposed to go before your father or grandfather,” Erik Thureson tweeted alongside a photo of the three generations of men. “That’s not how this works. We have no words. We are so sad to share that Jacob Tyler Thureson passed away on June 27,2019 at 5:11 am.”
Erik wrote that “Jacob was found unresponsive on June 13th from an apparent drug overdose. He was revived and brought to the ER where he’s been in a coma for 14 days.”
Coincidentally, on the same day, the rapper posted two photos of himself on Instagram with the caption, “I love you guys so much thank you for supporting me I’m so grateful that I can help people with my music.”
Before his passing, Hella Sketchy’s dad asked for #PrayersforSketchy and shared photos of his son hooked up to machines in the hospital bed.
“The opioid epidemic does not discriminate,” he wrote. “The conversation regarding drugs, depression, mental illness, social media, needs to be happening more openly without judgment and stigma.”
Hella Sketchy, who lived in Peoria, Ariz., had over 88,000 followers on Instagram and 22,000 subscribers on SoundCloud. His most recent video releases include songs “What Happened,” and “Two Cups.”
“We love you Jacob. More than words can express,” Erik continued. “We honor your short life of 18 years but we promise, your legacy will live on forever.”
Friends of the family set up a GoFundMe page for the rapper’s parents to help with medical bills as well as a documentary that will focus on the opioid epidemic in the US. The page has currently raised over $11,000.