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ThoughMac Millerwas known to many as the former boyfriend ofAriana Grande, the late rapper was a prolific artist who spent a decade crafting his artform.
But his immense talent also came with great struggles and, on Friday, the 26-year-olddied of an apparent drug overdose.
The young artist, whoreferred to himselfas “the coolest Jewish rapper,” was pronounced dead at 11:51 a.m. at his Studio City, California, home, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE. A cause of death is yet to be determined, but a source tells PEOPLE the rapper had gone into cardiac arrest after appearing to suffer a drug overdose.
Prior to his untimely death, Miller released his fifth and final albumSwimmingon Aug. 3. The album debuted at number 3 on theBillboard200. Miller wasexpected to go on tourstarting on Oct. 27.
Here are 7 things to know about the late rapper.
- He Wanted to Be a Musician From a Young Age
The rapper was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. His mother, aphotographernamed Karen Meyers is Jewish, while his father Mark McCormick, an architect, isChristian.
Miller’s love for music began at an early age and he taught himself to play numerous instruments in grade school before turning his attention to rapping. “Once I hit 15, I got real serious about it and it changed my life completely,” Miller told thePittsburgh Post-Gazettein 2010.
He released his first mixtapeBut My Mackin’ Ain’t Easyin 2007 under the name EZ Mac.
Miller, whose real name was Malcolm McCormick, then droppedThe Jukebox, another mixtape, in 2009. “I was still trying to figure out who I was at this point,” Miller toldPost-Gazetteabout his first two projects. “When you’re a young kid and you’re trying to rap you listen to the radio and you don’t know what you want to talk about. I didn’t know what I wanted to talk about. I just wanted to tell people I could rap.”
After releasing his next two mixtapesK.I.D.S.andThe High Lifeand embarking on a college tour, Miller went on tour withWiz Khalifain 2012.
- He Was a Reality Star
Whether he was getting a new tattoo, recording music, or vacationing in Hawaii,Mac Miller and the Most Dope Familywas filled with adventure and entertainment.
The show also starred Miller’s closest friends Big Dave, Jimmy, Peanut, Quentin and Chelsea, whom he brought with him to California to live in his brand new mansion.
The show ended after the second season in 2014.
- He DatedAriana Grande
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Miller andGrande, 24, began dating in 2016— three years after releasing their joint hit “The Way.” Miller was very supportive of Grande following thesuicide bombingat her Manchester, England concert on May 22 of last year.
Less than a month after their breakup, a fan blamed Grande for Miller’s DUI arrest. “Mac Miller totalling [sic] his G wagon and getting a DUI afterAriana Grandedumped him for another dude after he poured his heart out on a ten song album to her called the divine feminine is just the most heartbreaking thing happening in Hollywood,” the fan wrote online.
As for Grande’s recent engagement toPete Davidsonin June, Miller toldRolling Stone,“I am genuinely happy that that’s how she moved. That’s good for her. Go, go, keep going! As she should. I’m just being real. That’s good. Now I have space for me. And that’s great too.”
- He Was Very Open About His Struggles with Sobriety
Scott Kowalchyk/CBS/Getty
Miller admitted toComplexthat he first started using cough syrup containing codeine and promethazine, known often as lean, “to help manage the stress” he felt while on the Macadelic Tour in 2012. He also used cocaine.
“I love lean; it’s great,” Miller told the publication. “I was not happy and I was on lean very heavy.” “I was so f—ed up all the time it was bad. My friends couldn’t even look at me the same. I was lost.”
“You go through some f—ed up s—. A lotta people can tell you, you go through some f—ing s—. But it’s about being strong enough person to get through it. I was definitely sippin’ hella lean. I love it, I wouldn’t say I didn’t. But I feel better not doing it every single day,” Miller said when asked about the withdrawal.
“Drugs are dangerous, dude. But they’re awesome. Just dangerous. Drugs are not like a new thing. Especially with me, I’ve been doing drugs since I was 15,” Miller added.
Miller also said in theRolling Stoneinterview, which was published in August, that he didn’t classify himself as a drug addict. “If a bunch of people think I am a huge drug addict, OK. Cool. What can I really do? Go talk to all those people and be like ‘Naw man, it’s really not that simple?'”
“Have I done drugs? Yeah. But am I a drug addict? No,” Miller told the magazine.
- He Battled Depression and Anxiety
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On “Small Worlds,” he rapped, “Tell myself to hold on/I can feel my finger slipping/In a motherf—ing instant I’ll be gone.”
However, in an attempt to make a change, Miller began working out and insisted he was in “a great headspace these days,” toRolling Stone. “It’s good for the chemicals in your brain. It puts my mind in the proper place to start the day,” Miller said about working out.
- He Started His Own Record Label
Jamie McCarthy/Getty.Jamie McCarthy/Getty
“Warner is the most independent thinking company I met with,” Miller toldFADER. “It is a partnership and now I can focus on building my label Remember through music and let them handle everything I don’t like doing.”
- He’s Had a Few Run-ins with the Law
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On May 14, Miller wasarrested for DUIand hit and run in San Fernando Valley after ramming his Mercedes-Benz-G-Wagon into a power pole and fleeing the scene. He was later arrested at his home.
In August, the rapper was charged with two counts of DUI, with one for driving under the influence and another for operating a vehicle with a BAC above 0.08.
In addition to his recent DUI arrest, in 2011, Miller was arrested in upstate New York following a party after one of his shows.
“It was funny as hell, the experience. We were in the holding cell, chilling there, and this dude gets brought into the holding cell. He’s in there cuffed up and we are sitting in there laughing and cutting up trying to make the best of the situation,” Miller toldComplexabout the night he spent in jail.
If you or someone you know is in need of help, please contact theSAMHSA substance abuse helplineat 1-800-662-HELP.
source: people.com
