Juice WRLD’s mother Carmela Wallace shared a touching letter to her son to commemorate what would have been the late rapper’s 23rd birthday.
“When you were born 23 years ago, I never expected that you would not to be here today celebrating your birthday,” Wallace wrote in her letter on Thursday (Dec. 2). “Although it has been nearly two years since you’ve been gone, I still think about you every day and losing you has changed my life forever. I’m glad that we always made sure that we said goodbye when we left each other because we didn’t know when we would see each other again.”
“If you were here, I am sure that I would have said something like how it seemed like just yesterday that you were born,” she continued. “I know that I would have told you how proud I was of the man you became and your commitment to changing lives. I miss celebrating your birthday and all the good times that we shared. I have so many wonderful memories of you that will live in my heart forever.”
Tragically, the “Lucid Dreams” rapper passed away just after his 21st birthday in 2019 after suffering an accidental drug overdose. In her letter on Thursday, Wallace reflected on Juice’s 9th birthday, when she bought him an MP3 player and he found the gift early.
“You and I would have reminisced about previous birthdays and I’m sure we would have laughed once again about the MP3 player,” she wrote. “I would have tried to get as many birthday wishes in as possible like I always did on your birthday when we were together.”
Juice’s second posthumous album, Fighting Demons, is set to arrive next Friday (Dec. 10). Wallace noted the impact of her son’s “honesty and transparency” in his music in her letter.
“You shared a message of healing and sincerely desired to make a difference in the lives of others. I still receive messages from fans saying how your music helped them with anxiety and depression,” she wrote. “I promise to continue your message of healing and use Live Free 999 as an avenue to normalize the conversation around mental health and substance dependency and help those who suffer in silence.”
In a joint statement last month, Wallace and Grade A, Lil Bibby’s record label; explained that Fighting Demons will further commemorate Juice’s 23rd birthday.
“Happy 23rd Birthday Jarad, I love you dearly,” Wallace concluded her message. “I’m thankful for the time that we had and will forever cherish every moment that we shared.”
Juice’s fans, friends and collaborators took to Twitter on Thursday to wish him a happy birthday. See some posts dedicated to the late star below.