The Tragic Death Of Rapper Lil Bo Weep
Trigger warning: This article contains content regarding mental health struggles, substance abuse, and suicide.
Musician and social media star Lil Bo Weep died on March 3 at the age of 22. Her death was announced via a Facebook post made on March 5 by her father, Matthew Schofield, who revealed, "We lost the fight for my daughter's life against depression, trauma, PTSD and drug addiction." Schofield said his daughter, whose real name was Winona Lisa Green, "fought hard against her demons ... but she could not fight any longer."
He continued, "As her dad I am proud of her beyond words as she is my hero, my daughter and my best friend that i love so so much. She is no longer hurting now with the universe wanting their angel back." At the time of her death, the YouTube musician amassed over 125,000 subscribers on the video sharing site, where she posted original songs and covers. And though fans continue to mourn her tragic death, Lil Bo Weep certainly left behind a lasting legacy with her art.
Lil Bo Weep had been vocal about mental health
According to her YouTube channel, Lil Bo Weep started posting videos in 2014, and amassed over 300,000 followers and listeners on various music sharing platforms, like SoundCloud and Spotify. Her most streamed tracks included "Untitled," "Sorry," and "not ok but its ok."
Like the latter song title suggests, Weep was vocal about her mental health and used her platform to share her thoughts. Prior to her death, she created a personal TikTok account, where she shared struggles about being in the spotlight. "I've been in the public eye as a successful independent musician since 2013 and have been taken advantage of, exploited my whole life," she wrote along with the video. "I've struggled with severe addiction and illness. I want to use this account to spread awareness and insight."
The music artist also shared the devastation of losing an unborn child in her last Instagram post, saying that her "severe eating disorder" growing up had affected her ability to have children. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Weep's loved ones.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).