Lil Peep’s Mother Sues Managers Over His Death

Please - I beg of you. Show compassion. Think about yourself at 21. Did you always make good decisions? I know I did not. Could my parents have stopped me from making choices that, as a middle-aged woman with a grown child of my own, I would never make today? Of course not. I wish I could say "with grown children," but I understand the indescribable pain of watching a troubled, talented child in our family struggle with, and finally die from, the disease of addiction at the age of 23. My stepdaughter was gifted, kindhearted, and creative; she aspired to be a writer. When she was doing well, we rejoiced. When she was floundering, we privately despaired, but always supported & encouraged her to try again to get clean. She was at a 12 step meeting 3 days before her overdose. When we go to the support group for bereaved parents, we are all in the same pain. There's no hell like having your child die. You're never going to be okay again in the way you were before. I hear the unending grief of the parents whose children were hit by a car or a bus; the teen basketball player who had a heart attack on the court; the boating accident; the childhood cancer; the house fire. And we hug each other & we cry. In that room, nobody is blaming us for not doing enough to prevent my stepdaughter's death. We all of us know if love could have done it, our kids would be here today. If we could have died for them, they'd be here today. So please - give this family compassion. They need it.

She was shocked, Peter Lorre style, to find out that there is sex and drugs in the music business! Her "ongoing worry" is probably less for young artists and more for her own bank account.

The facial tattoos speak volumes about this young man. Did his mother overlook his behavior and drug use because it was financially expedient?

This individual had a long history of using combinations of strong drugs to quell his 'demons'. Where was mommy then? it was inevitable that this practice would eventually end badly.

I'm reminded of Carroll O'Connor's public blaming of his son's friend who shared cocaine preceding Hugh's suicide, and the unsuccessful defamation case against Mr. O'Connor.

Every drug abuser has enablers. People who supply drugs, take drugs with him, cover up drug use, etc. Usually when the addict dies, the enablers scatter. But if the addict had money, you can bet there will be lawsuits. From what I gather from Peeps' videos, looking "visibly unwell" was the norm. His persona, even. Judging from his lyrics, he made no secret of excessive drug use. So where was the mother while all this was going on? She can't pretend she didn't know.

Lots of people exploited this kid to make $ and, I hate to say it, but it feels like now it’s mom’s turn. A lawsuit was not the answer: articles, a book, speaking out to young kids. Hopefully, they have already designated a charity for all the money so the mom’s lawyers don’t profit from this lawsuit either.

I feel for this woman and think she has a point. However. Her son was a rapper. Who was on tour. Drugs would be pretty much a given in his chosen profession. What did she think he was doing?

Our son is a heroin addict. He is a beautiful young man but damaged and limited by his addiction. He’s been to at least ten rehabs, some for many months at a time. He’s been in jail half a dozen times. He’s a beautiful young man. He has two parents who love him. Who sacrificed for him and spent lots of time with him. Who worked as hard as a parent can (while also working to earn a living), to help him him overcome his disease. He quit high school. He’s never had a single job for one full year. He’s an addict. The addiction owns him. It keeps him in chains. It breaks my heart to think of how he lives and how awful the addiction is. (He’s been on his own for many years.) If you don’t have a child who’s an addict it’s probably better not to criticize a mom who wants to sue her son’s managers/handlers. The sadness and despair of that addiction poisons more than just the addict.

The headline says: "His mother says those responsible for his welfare pushed him to perform [...]" So... she was not responsible for his welfare...?

Ridiculous lawsuit. Personal responsibility is an outdated concept I guess....

Is there a pattern here? White rap stars die of ODs. Black rap stars get shot.

At least Kurt Cobain could play an amazing guitar and write amazing songs. Rap is a talentless form of music, based more on image than any ability to play an instrument or even sing. You just stand in front of a microphone, pace and express whatever, making sure your image as a bad boy and fashionista gets over. It's a dead-end and thus relies on an awful lot of drugs to feed egos that basically are frail when it comes to real talent and musical ability. Major media, including the Times and its rap reporting, feed the rapper's feeling of great significance when actually there's not that much inside that's built to last musically. No wonder successful rappers go into business ventures when they have the money. At least that's something real. I weep not for these kids, their excesses and their troubles. The villains are industries that promote freakishness over real musical ability. Ok, I'm from an older era when we expected a band to play and had some real music. And the teens the industry panders to don't know any better because their taste is totally shaped by cheap buck dictators of talent agencies and record labels.I know some would strongly object to what I'm saying , saying rap is relevant expression. Relevant to what? Violence, misogyny, drug use, depression, alienation---good luck to everybody. What goes around comes around.

I was just watching Black Mirror last night - the last season - last episode. It's very like that story only his management just didn't send him into a coma. They just worked him to death so they didn't suffer any financial loss from cancelations. It's the same - get it now while you can attitude- that the Hollywood factory system used to exploit. The more experienced modern actors have better lawyers. Never heard of this guy until he died.

While I cannot begin to imagine the grief Ms Womack is experiencing, it is going to be a tough sell to a judge or jury that a self styled millionaire mumble rapper was being taken advantage of by management and forced to take the drugs that killed him. He was the talent, the cash register they all needed to get paid. While it is true that fame is something that many people wish for, it is not work many people are actually willing to do to get there. As someone who has played music for money before, the time spent performing is, in the case of rappers, 50 minutes out of the day. The rest of the time is spent alone with yourself and thoughts. If you are mature and stable, you may be okay. If you are young with demons, as Lil Peep apparently was, that time can destroy you. Especially when everybody wants something from you. This is a tragic epilogue to a tragic end of life.

Not sure how I feel about this. I have a son that age, I feel her pain, but where was she in all this? I would have dragged my son off that bus myself. I know that may sound harsh, but parents do have some culpability, at least I feel I do with my boys.

After seeing this article shared on Twitter, I saw that many comments were bashing the mother. However, it should be noted that Ms. Womack is a Columbia University professor who pushed her children to express themselves, which included pushing Gus (Lil Peep) to create music. When he was given the opportunities to move forward with a career, hy would she have intervened, and if so, was there really much she could have done? From her view, her son was creating music across the world, releasing his first record, and developing a following. Why would she question that he be anything but happy? These people profited off a kid, a mentally ill kid, and pushed him beyond his limits as many artists are. This was just another case of the people around someone choosing money over the person's wellbeing, and I believe Womack is trying to use her son as an example so such practices stop. I applaud her for taking the time to build a case and for continuing to publish her son's work. by the way, if you never heard of this young man, listen to his songs "Star Shopping', "U Said", "Broken Smile" and "Better off Dying".

The man was an adult and made his own choices. If all the parents of all the pop and rock stars (and their entourages) who've overdosed came out of the woodwork to sue on their behalf, the courts would have time to consider nothing else. Just stop.

People are responsible for their drug use and abuse, and that includes drug addicts. I guess it's easier to blame others than accept personal responsibility.

Nothing new about the parasites that feed off of artists have nothing more than dollars on their mind.

“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.” - Hunter S. Thompson

I hope that she wins the case. Those managers manipulated him based on his vulnerabilities, but took no responsibility for their actions.

I am really sorry to the family and wish them well. It certainly appears that many factors lead to his death, including his own decisions. Based on the details provided, it's going to be a tough case to try and my guess is the litigants are hoping to settle out of court. That being said, there's another matter to address in the article and that is this so-called "music". I'm sorry but mumbling over mediocre, overdramatic soundtracks hardly qualifies as music.