First Access Management denies the late 'Awful Things' rapper's mother's claims that the company 'allowed, normalized, and even encouraged' the use of drugs, which led to her son's demise.
- Oct 9, 2019
AceShowbiz - Lil Peep's mother is suing his management team and the company behind his final tour, almost two years after his death. Liza Womack blames First Access Entertainment and people associated with the company for the rapper's tragic passing.
Peep, whose real name was Gustav Elijah Ahr, died at 21 years old on November 15, 2017 due to accidental drug overdose. In her lawsuit, his mother claims starting in early 2017 during Peep's "The Peep Show" tour, the use of controlled drugs and illegal substances were allowed, normalized and even encouraged by management. The documents obtained by TMZ detail an instance when Peep was allegedly gifted a bottle of pills by one of his managers during a group dinner during a tour stop in London.
According to the docs, the drug use continued later in 2017, during Peep's "Come Over When You're Sober" tour. Liza claims her son was regularly supplied with Xanax, Ketamine and other drugs while on the road.
Liza says that during a tour stop on May 10, 2017 in Los Angeles, Peep was "barely able to communicate, let alone perform, due to his use of drugs," but his managers allowed him to perform anyway.
The documents also mention that the company ignored Peep's plea to quit the tour because he was physically and emotionally drained. It's alleged that the management team "pushed [Peep] onto stage after stage in city after city, plying and propping" him up with drugs instead.
During his last tour stop before his death, Peep's mother claims one of his managers, Belinda Mercer, told him to take "an excessive amount of Xanax" so he would get sick and then insurance would cover the cancellation of the show. Peep was found dead after his performance in El Paso that night. Liza also accuses Belinda of having a sexual relationship with her son.
Explaining her decision to file the lawsuit, Liza tells the Times, "This is something that I must do as a mother. I feel very concerned that they not be exploited. What Gus had to live through is actually horrifying to me, and I’m sure he’s not the only person his age in this situation."
In response to the lawsuit, First Access Entertainment has released a statement, saying that the accusations are without merit. "The claim that First Access Entertainment, any of its employees, or Chase Ortega, or anyone else under our auspices was somehow responsible for, complicit in, or contributed to his death is categorically untrue," the statement reads.
The company adds, "In fact, we consistently encouraged Peep to stop abusing drugs and to distance himself from the negative influence of the drug users and enablers with whom he chose to associate." It goes on to argue that Peep's mother "is well aware of the numerous efforts made by First Access and Chase Ortega to steer her son away from his concerning lifestyle choices."
"Unfortunately, in spite of our best efforts, he was an adult who made his own decisions and opted to follow a different, more destructive path," it states, adding, "While First Access is deeply saddened by Lil Peep's untimely death, we will not hesitate to defend ourselves against this groundless and offensive lawsuit. We look forward to its swift dismissal."
