Content warning: This article mentions suicide. Please take care while reading.
Rapper and social media influencer Lucas Coly has died, Coly’s manager confirmed on Instagram. Coly was 27, and Coly’s manager provided no cause of death. Coly’s manager, however, captioned the post #checkonyourfriends, suggesting rumors that Coly died by suicide could be true.
Word spread online that Coly died when the “I Just Wanna” rapper stated, “I love y’all” in a final Instagram story post. However, no official reports confirmed his death until his manager shared the tragic update, leading some to hope it might be — in the words of one commenter — “Fake news.”
After announcing Coly died, Coly’s manager captioned a follow-up post, “@iamlucascoly I’m not ok. I love you bro I can’t sleep.” Coly chatted with fans in another Instagram post around the same time he died, which is no longer available on Instagram but has now been shared on YouTube. In it, Coly gave no clear indication of distress.
Coly moved to the U.S. when he was 8
Coly was born in France, but moved to the United States when he was 8. He started on Vine around 2014, NBC New York reported. Rapping in English and French, Coly then transitioned to Instagram and YouTube, where he had millions of followers. His career took off in 2017 when he started dating Instagram influencer Amber H. The couple worked together on a YouTube channel, and unconfirmed TikTok posts say their relationship ended not long before Coly died.
The couple shared an Instagram page, lucasandamberofficial. At this writing, Amber H has not commented on Coly’s death on her social media. In a Facebook post, Coly’s manager added he was on the phone with Coly just moments before his death. He said Amber H would confirm the news when she was ready and asked fans to give her time to process. “He loved all of his fans. 2024 has been the worst year of my life. Lucas was more of a brother to me than my client,” the Facebook post said.
Fan response
Even before Coly’s manager confirmed he had died, rumors of the rapper’s death elicited a strong reaction online. Once word was official, one fan posted, “13 year old me is in shambles💔💔💔 RIP #LucasColy.” Another added, “Me trying to sleep after finding out Lucas Coly passed away last night (I had a crush on him since forever) 💔.” Meanwhile, a Coly fan added “I fell to my knees in Target. He really gone.”
In addition to “I Just Wanna,” Coly had hits with “Break Ya Back” and “My Lil Shawty.” Coly had over a million followers on Instagram and around 500k subscribers on YouTube. With his death official, Corey Campbell, Coly’s friend and fellow musician, shared a WhatsApp post.
Coly’s manager wrote in part in his statement confirming Coly’s death, “Being your manager was one of the reasons I stayed here. There’s a hole in my heart right now Lucas. We used to speak on our struggles all the time but smile for the fan … Honestly Lucas it hasn’t set in yet because I refuse to believe you are gone. Heart ripped to shreds,” he added.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. A list of international crisis resources can be found here.