14 December 2019
Newsdesk
The life of the 21-year-old rapper - who passed away earlier this month after reportedly suffering a seizure in Chicagos Midway airport - was celebrated by family and close friends at the Holy Temple Cathedral Church of God in Harvey, Illinois, near his Chicago hometown.
According to TMZ, his mother Carmela Wallace paid an emotional tribute to her son, writing in the mass booklet: "My dear son Jarad, God trusted me to raise you and I poured all I had into you as the Lord guided me. We were inseparable and even though you left home early, we were always in each other's hearts and always had a special bond.
"We were always overjoyed to see each other, and you still called me 'mommy' as you hugged and kiss me when you saw me,” she continued. “Your love was pure and innocent, and your heart was genuine. You truly cared about people and wanted to make the world a better place.
"I am going to miss you dearly. Rest in peace my dear one; mommy loves you."
Juice WRLD's siblings - Brian, Alyssa and Maya Wallace - left a joint message, writing: "Jarad, you brought life, light and laughter to everyone you met. We will carry you in our hearts always. We love you."
They also included the Plato quote: "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, fight to the imagination and life to everything."
And the rapper's grandmother, Cecilia Darden, wrote: "My dear Grandson, you brought smiles, laughter and love into [our] lives. I loved being a part of your life and watching the happy little boy grow up to become a thoughtful, caring and a talented young man. Thank you for all the love and joy that you gave us. I am happy that you got a chance to live out your dreams.
"You would always end our phone conversations with, 'I miss you Grandma'. My love for you will never end, and I miss you Jarad, my dear Grandson."
Following his death, Carmela revealed that her son - whose real name was Jarad Anthony Higgins - had been battling drug addiction before his death.
She said: "We loved Jarad with all of our hearts and cannot believe our time with him has been cut short. As he often addressed in his music and to his fans, Jarad battled with prescription drug dependency.
"Addiction knows no boundaries and its impact goes way beyond the person fighting it. Jarad was a son, brother, grandson, friend and so much more to so many people who wanted more than anything to see him defeat addiction."
