Lil Xan has toyed with the idea of changing his name for years. Now, it appears the California native has officially committed to the idea of a new moniker.
On Tuesday (May 5), the TOTAL XANARCHY artist shared an Instagram post revealing he was reverting back to part of his birth name, Nicholas Diego Leanos.
“Baby I’m coming back better than ever !” he wrote in the caption. “I’m officially changing my name to ‘DIEGO’ rn, Leaving the old in the past and I changed the picture because so many people got but hurt that I picked a lil uzi edit lol I’m restarting and reinventing myself !”
Xan appears to be in a better place than he was last month. On April 19, he was reportedly hospitalized for a coronavirus-driven panic attack.
Lil Xan Reportedly Hospitalized For Coronavirus-Driven Panic Attack
He’s been holed up at his mother’s house in (of all places) Corona, California since the pandemic began. His mother called 911 when Xan (or, Diego) began to experience hallucinations. Once at the hospital, doctors told him he experienced an anxiety attack, but he has little recollection of the event, although he referred to it as his “worst one.”
Xan, who has struggled with addiction issues in the past, first mentioned he was thinking about changing his name in 2018. He apparently wanted to escape the drug connotation that went with it.