Just six days after turning 21, Juice WRLD tragically passed away on December 8, 2019, following a fatal seizure caused by an overdose of oxycodone and codeine aboard a private jet.
At the time of his death, Juice was already a rising force in music—praised for his freestyle skills and backed by industry giants. But he wasn’t just another rapper. His influences ranged from Lil Wayne and Kid Cudi to Paramore and Panic! At the Disco, and he was a skilled multi-instrumentalist who could play guitar, trumpet, and drums. That blend of musicality and emotion shaped his sound—layering raw lyrics about heartbreak, drug use, and mental health over acoustic guitar riffs and hard-hitting 808s. It struck a deep chord, especially with his young, mostly male audience.
On July 10, 2020—seven months after his passing—his team dropped Legends Never Die, Juice’s first posthumous album. Guided by his manager Lil Bibby and Grade A Productions COO Peter Jideonwo, the project was built from the thousands of unreleased tracks Juice had left behind. The team carefully chose songs that they felt matched the album Juice wanted to release following Death Race for Love.
The result? A critically praised album that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 497,000 units in its first week—making it the biggest posthumous debut of the century.
Now, a five-year anniversary edition is out, available exclusively on Complex Shop. It includes three new tracks: “In My Head,” “Face 2 Face,” and “The Way” featuring XXXTentacion.
To mark the milestone, here are 10 things you might not know about Legends Never Die.
1.“Blood on My Jeans” was Juice WRLD’s favorite track off of the project
In an interview with XXL, Peter Jideonwo shared that “Blood on My Jeans” was Juice WRLD’s favorite track on Legends Never Die, noting it was “made towards the end, you know.” Juice even previewed the song during an Instagram Live session, freestyling a completely new second verse that effortlessly flowed into the existing chorus. Though that alternate verse never made it to a studio recording, the live clip still stands as a powerful testament to his raw talent.
- Legends Never Die wasn’t the album Juice originally planned to release
True fans know Juice WRLD had been working on a project called Outsiders before his passing. He first teased the album on Twitter back on June 24, 2019, with a hopeful post: “things are coming together not just music but life in general.”
Juice had lined up heavy hitters like Metro Boomin and Nick Mira to produce for the album, and it was initially planned to drop on his birthday. But sadly, that vision never came to life. After his death, his girlfriend Ally Lotti mentioned Outsiders during an Instagram Live, emotionally saying:
“Remember we were talking about Outsiders… That actual album, no one is ready for it. I’m not ready for it. And I promise you, you are not ready for it.”
Just days before the release, the label officially announced the title would instead be Legends Never Die.
3.The album art was created by mural artist Corey Pane
Juju Smith-Schuster, wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs, was a massive Juice WRLD fan. Following the rapper’s death, Juju reached out to muralist Corey Pane to commission a tribute piece for his home. The mural—featuring a split image of Juice WRLD and Juju in his Steelers uniform (his team at the time)—bore a striking resemblance to what would eventually become the album’s official cover.
Blown away by Pane’s work, Juju put Juice WRLD’s team onto the artist, recommending him for the album artwork. The team agreed, and Pane was brought on to design the Legends Never Die cover using his signature oil paint style.
Pane later recreated the cover as a mural in Juice WRLD’s hometown of Chicago. However, the tribute was taken down in 2022, reportedly by self-appointed local officials in the West Loop neighborhood.
4. Halsey has a tattoo honoring Juice WRLD—with “999” and “Life’s a Mess” inked on her hand
Halsey and Juice WRLD shared a real connection. In 2018, her BBC Live cover of “Lucid Dreams” went viral and eventually led to a collaboration on the remix of her hit “Without Me.”
Their bond was more than musical. Just before Legends Never Die dropped, Halsey posted a heartfelt tribute on July 10:
“man, juice n I rode one of the best moments of my career together. we had so many more songs to make w each other. means the world to me I could be on this record. as friend and FAN. one of my fav artists of all time. one of the greatest people with the greatest smile. 4 ever”
As a lasting tribute, she revealed a tattoo on her left hand featuring “Life’s a Mess”—the title of their song—and Juice’s signature number “999,” which he used to flip the negative meaning of “666” into a message of strength and positivity.
5. The Legends Never Die cover was inspired by the single artwork for Juice WRLD and Benny Blanco’s “Graduation”
The single artwork for “Graduation” would ultimately become one of Juice WRLD’s most iconic images—immortalized in murals and, most notably, repurposed as the cover for Legends Never Die. While its use might seem unexpected at first, it made perfect sense. The image captured everything Juice stood for: the vulnerability in his eyes, the blend of hip-hop and rock influences in his look, and a raw, unfiltered self-expression that struck a chord with fans worldwide.
Reflecting on Juice’s brilliance, close collaborator Benny Blanco once said, “He was the most talented person I had ever been in the room with.”The single artwork for “Graduation” would ultimately become one of Juice WRLD’s most iconic images—immortalized in murals and, most notably, repurposed as the cover for Legends Never Die. While its use might seem unexpected at first, it made perfect sense. The image captured everything Juice stood for: the vulnerability in his eyes, the blend of hip-hop and rock influences in his look, and a raw, unfiltered self-expression that struck a chord with fans worldwide.
Reflecting on Juice’s brilliance, close collaborator Benny Blanco once said, “He was the most talented person I had ever been in the room with.”
6.“Come & Go” was originally meant to launch Marshmello and Juice WRLD’s joint project Mellowrld
Marshmello first discovered Juice WRLD’s music on his way to Coachella in 2018 and was immediately hooked by the unique mix of emo and rap. They officially connected at an award show where Juice excitedly ran up to Marshmello asking for a photo—a moment that kicked off their creative partnership.
Juice’s trusted engineer, Max Lord, later sent Marshmello a beat that sparked the creation of “Come & Go,” one of several tracks the two had planned to include on a collaborative album called Mellowrld. Tragically, Juice passed away just days before they were scheduled to shoot the video for the single.
In an emotional interview, Marshmello recalled leaving Chicago for LA the same night Juice died. He later revealed that the version of “Come & Go” that fans heard was untouched—released exactly how Juice last heard it in the studio.
The track went on to become a massive hit, racking up over a billion streams, going triple platinum, and peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
7. “Smile” featuring The Weeknd was nearly lost forever
In an interview, Juice WRLD’s engineer Max Lord detailed just how tough it was to bring “Smile” to life. The first major hurdle was hunting down all the original session files—especially The Weeknd’s vocals, which were stored separately. Once they finally gathered everything from both artists’ teams, a new issue popped up: The Weeknd’s vocals were recorded at 151.8 BPM, while Juice’s verse was laid down at 150 BPM.
To make it work, the engineering team had to carefully align the tracks by hand, adjusting the timing without compromising the emotion of the performance. Grammy-winning engineers Rafa Sardina and Colin Leonard jumped in to perform what Max called “surgery” on the record to get it right.
All the effort paid off. “Smile” debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving fans one of the most powerful posthumous collaborations in Juice WRLD’s catalog.
8. “The Way” is a fusion of two unreleased tracks
“The Way,” featured on the five-year anniversary edition of Legends Never Die, is actually a mashup of two completely separate ideas from Juice WRLD and XXXTentacion. The inspiration for the track partially stems from the 2016 Ugandan Knuckles meme, which prompted X to freestyle a chorus using the meme’s viral catchphrase over a guitar riff.
Juice’s verse, on the other hand, was pulled from an unreleased song titled “Inner Peace.” Despite the two recording their parts during different sessions with entirely different vibes, the posthumous edit brings them together in a surprisingly smooth and emotional duet that feels like it was always meant to happen.
9. “Tell Me U Luv Me” featuring Trippie Redd was recorded just days before Juice WRLD passed
During an Instagram Live session, Trippie Redd shared that “Tell Me U Luv Me” was recorded just two days before Juice WRLD’s passing.
He also recalled how the session played out—saying he got super high and devoured a bunch of McDonald’s, thanks to Juice’s lifetime hookup with the brand. Juice had been gifted a rare one-of-one card that gave him free McDonald’s for life.
The song would later receive a visual from Lyrical Lemonade, bringing Juice’s journey full circle. Cole Bennett, who directed the video, was the same creative force who helped launch Juice WRLD into the spotlight with the iconic visuals for “All Girls Are the Same” and “Lucid Dreams.”
