Rich Homie Quan's Final Instagram Post Is Heartbreaking Now

Sad news hit the music world when it was announced that Atlanta, Georgia rapper Rich Homie Quan had died. Details about his death remain unknown — even where it happened, aside from Atlanta — but an autopsy is pending. Fulton County Medical Examiner made the announcement that Quan died on Thursday, September 5. He was 33 years old.

Numerous Quan tributes have popped up online after the news broke. "Dam lil brother, we just spoke about shooting a video, special prayer for you and your family, and pray for any and everybody that's dealing with something," 2 Chainz wrote on Instagram. As reported by the Independent, Quavos from Migos wrote, "May god be with us never saw this being part of our journey," while Megan Thee Stallion wrote, "RIP to one of the best." Fans like KristenMelaninQueen, meanwhile, posted their own tributes on social media. "Rich Homie Quan was an era within himself!!!" she wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "This is insane!!! RIP to this man and prayers to his family."

But out of all the posts written about Quan, it's his own final Instagram post that stands out. Written mere days before his death, it shows a glimpse into his off-stage, everyday life. The photo looks like it was taken at an optometrist's office and shows Quan peering through a new pair of glasses. "Vision clear even through the BS," he wrote. This small, commonplace moment serves as a stark and somewhat disturbing reminder of how quickly and unexpectedly death can come.

Born Dequantes Devontay Lamar in Atlanta, Georgia in 1989, Rich Homie Quan's earliest love was baseball. As the Atlanta-based venue The Masquerade writes, he was raised in a single-parent house with two younger siblings. After some run-ins with the law for burglaries, he found himself behind bars for 15 months. When he was released in 2011, he turned to music to make a name for himself. As The Masquerade quotes him, "I can't go back to that, this is my life and I'm thankful for it." 

Quan's venture into music was well-timed. Though Atlanta has been a hub for hip-hop since the '80s, it was initially outshined by the often-publicized East Coast-West Coast rap rivalry that dominated the industry through the 1990s. Come the early- to mid-2000s and a whole bunch of Atlanta artists made their way into the national spotlight. Rich Homie Quan rode this wave and made a name for himself with his 2013 hit, "Type of Way." The song was also featured at Michigan State Spartans games and got remixed by other rappers like Meek Mill and Jeezy. 

Despite his success, Quan only ever released one studio album, 2018's "Rich as in Spirit." Nonetheless, he performed at the BET Awards and VH1 Hip Hop Honors and was nominated for BET and BET Hip Hop Awards, including best new artist and the people's champ award.

As mentioned, Rich Homie Quan's final eye examination post comes across as tragic inasmuch as no one who saw it could have predicted that he would be dead within a few days. Quan's other recent Instagram posts show an apparently healthy, vibrant young man performing on stage, hanging out with friends, horsing around, going shopping, and so forth. There's no indication anywhere of any lurking disease or condition, nor of any circumstances that might lead to the rapper's death. In fact, other Quan tributes alluded to collaborations actively in the works. Rapper Boosie BadAzz was to be one such collaborator. "We got some good a** memories together n that go always bring a smile to my face ... We was cooking up some s*** too," he wrote on X. 

Nonetheless, Quan had some more recent run-ins with the law. In 2017, he was arrested and charged with "felony drug possession with intent to distribute," as Fader cites, a charge that carried a potential 30-year sentence. The charges were dismissed two years later. In 2016, he was questioned by police following a shooting at The Diamond Club in New Bern, North Carolina — not because he was a suspect, but just because he was present. But sometimes being present is all that it takes for an accident to happen. Doubtlessly, there'll be further news about the cause of Quan's death following his autopsy.