LIL PEEP'S MOM SUES MANAGEMENT (UPDATE)

The mother of Lil Peep is suing the late rapper’s manager, Sarah Stennett and First Access Entertainment, for negligence, breach of contract and wrongful death. First Access has called the suit "meritless."

Liza Womack charges that Stennet, manager Bryant Ortega and tour manager Belinda Mercer pumped the young rapper with illegal drugs and unprescribed controlled substances while he was on tour. Lil Peep signed with First Access when he was 19; he died in 2017 at the age of 21.

The suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, seeks unspecified damages. The New York Times reported the lawsuit story first.

Saying that the company or that any of its employees are responsible for his death are “categorically untrue,” First Access said in a statement that they “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.”

First Access called the suit meritless and noted that investigations by the Tucson Medical Examiner and Tucson Police ruled his death accidental.

“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.”

The Times reports Lil Peep’s is the first recent case in which an artist’s family has attempted to hold the music business responsible for an artist’s drug-related death.

“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,” Womack told the Times.