Singer Ariana Grande first met rapper Mac Miller in 2012, and the two remained friends for several years before making their romance public in August 2016. The duo collaborated on various songs, and they seemed like a perfect match until May 2018, when Grande announced breaking up with Miller while continuing to remain friends with him.
Four months after the breakup, 26-year-old Mac Miller lost his life in an accidental drug overdose on September 7, 2018. This left Ari in grief over the loss of her “dearest friend.” Harper Bazaar noted how the singer-songwriter poured her heart out in a since-deleted Instagram post about Miller’s death, saying:
“I adored you from the day I met you when i was nineteen and i always will. i can’t believe you aren’t here anymore. i really can’t wrap my head around it. we talked about this. so many times. i’m so mad, i’m so sad i don’t know what to do. you were my dearest friend. for so long.”
The singer’s final tribute to Mac Miller also reflected the guilt that she felt about not being able to help him deal with his “demons.” She ended the post by writing:
“Above anything else. I’m so sorry I couldn’t fix or take your pain away. I really wanted to. the kindest, sweetest soul with demons he never deserved. i hope you’re okay now. rest”
Ariana Grande was dating Pete Davidson at the time of Miller’s death, but the relationship didn’t work and the couple parted ways by the end of 2018. The singer-songwriter has honored Miller several times, with her tributes being in the form of songs and tattoos.
Ariana Grande described the grief of Mac Miller’s death as “all-consuming”
When the subject of Mac Miller’s death was brought up during an interview with Vogue on July 9, 2019, Ariana Grande said:
“It’s pretty all-consuming.”
The NASA singer went on to say:
“By no means was what we had perfect, but, like, f—k. He was the best person ever, and he didn’t deserve the demons he had. I was the glue for such a long time, and I found myself becoming . . . less and less sticky. The pieces just started to float away.”
In the interview, Grande also spoke up about the stream of hateful comments she received on social media following Miller’s death, with many netizens blaming her for his ultimate breakdown. She added:
“People don’t see any of the real stuff that happens, so they are loud about what they think happened. They didn’t see the years of work and fighting and trying, or the love and exhaustion.”
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Elsewhere in the interview, when Ari was asked about headlining Coachella 2019, the singer-songwriter was in tears. She shared that the festival reminded him of Miller, since she had attended the event to see him perform twice in the past.
The singer further noted:
“I was always a person who never went to festivals and never went out and had fun like that. But the first time I went was to see Malcolm perform, and it was such an incredible experience. I went the second year as well, and I associate…heavily…it was just kind of a mindf***, processing how much has happened in such a brief period.”
Ariana Grande got a tattoo to honor Miller in December 2018
Ariana Grande has honored the rapper both in words and in actions and gestures. In December 2018, she got “Myron” in bold inked across her left foot, paying homage to the dog she had adopted with the rapper. The Side to Side singer has also taken Myron to join her canine pack after Miller’s death.
Several of her songs, including Just Like Magic and Ghostin’, have referenced the late rapper. In her 2019 song Ghostin, Grande says:
“Though I wish he were here instead, don’t want that living in your head/ He just comes to visit me when I’m dreaming every now and then.”
Fans have also pointed out that the lyrics from the pre-chorus of Ariana’s track, Just Like Magic, are dedicated to Miller.
“Good karma my aesthetic (Aesthetic) / Keep my conscience clear, that’s why I’m so magnetic / Manifest it (Yeah), I finessed it (I finessed it) / Take my pen and write some love letters to Heaven.”
In March 2023, Ari celebrated the tenth anniversary of her 2013 breakout single The Way from her debut studio album titled Yours Truly and it featured Mac Miller. By sharing a fan-created video of the track on her Instagram story, Grande wrote “I love you” on it in bold white fonts. According to Harper’s Bazaar, the post was reportedly dedicated to the late Mac Miller.
Ariana is currently dating Ethan Slater, whom she started seeing last year, around the time Dalton and Grande separated.
