The mother of the late Juice WRLD penned a special message to her son’s fans on what would have been his 22nd birthday. Carmela Wallace shared the note through her son’s social media accounts, along with a photo of him.
“Jarad and I both loved celebrating our birthdays — mine is just two weeks before his,” she wrote. “On our special days, we used to wish one another ‘Happy Birthday’ dozens and dozens of times throughout the day. Now, I like to think of all the ‘Happy Birthdays’ we saved for the future. Jarad would have been 22 years old today.”
She added, “He will forever be the light of my life. Today, we celebrate him, his immense talent and creativity and his contributions to the world. Through his art, he spoke his truth.”
As fans of the “Lucid Dreams” emcee continue to keep his memory alive though his music, his mother is keeping her son’s legacy alive through his Live Free 999 organization, which helps young people who are struggling with mental illnesses.
The Live Free 999 fund provides support to programs that address addiction, depression and anxiety and strive towards normalizing the conversation surrounding those topics — especially in underserved communities. It also supports programs that offer positive avenues for people to process their mental health issues.
Back in October, Juice’s foundation donated musical instruments to his childhood school in Illinois. They supplied Deer Creek Christian School’s orchestra and band with enough instruments for students in preschool to second grade. His record labels — Interscope Geffen A&M and Grade A — also contributed to the gift.
“His spirit can very much be felt in the heartbeat of our school’s mission and within the very walls and floors of the school building itself,” said Mrs. Lannaea Alexander, Juice’s 8th grade homeroom teacher. “We are immensely grateful to accept this gift from Carmela and Jarad which will enable us to offer a robust music education for our students at Deer Creek Christian School.”
Happy birthday Jarad! Check out his mom’s full statement below.