Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller has passed away aged 26, his family have confirmed. Miller was found unresponsive at his home in San Fernando Valley, on September 7. Whilst no official cause of death has been confirmed yet, it is believed that Mac- real name Malcolm McCormick- died of an apparent overdose.
“Malcolm McCormick, known and adored by fans as Mac Miller, has tragically passed away at the age of 26,” his family said in a statement to Rolling Stone. They added: “He was a bright light in this world for his family, friends and fans. Thank you for your prayers. Please respect our privacy. There are no further details as to the cause of his death at this time.”
The County of Los Angeles medical examiner also released a statement: “In the late morning of Sept. 7, Malcolm McCormick (dob 1/19/92) was found unresponsive in his home located in the 11600 block of Valleycrest Drive in Studio City.”
“Authorities were called and Miller was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:51 a.m. At this time, an autopsy is pending and a cause of death has not been determined.”
Miller was a brutally honest artist, who had spoken openly in the past about his problems with substance abuse. Speaking to Billboard in 2015, the rapper detailed how he had struggled to cope with the sudden success of his debut album, explaining “I was doing a lot of drugs around that time, which is another difference now: I’m not doing as many drugs…It just eats at your mind, doing drugs every single day, every second. It’s rough on your body.”
Mac further elaborated that his fear of death was something that pushed him to make and create as much music as possible, as both a performer, and a producer, saying “I’ve got to make sure I make all this music so when I die there’s albums and albums.”
Miller had been due to embark on a tour next month, in support of his recent, critically acclaimed album Swimming. Tributes from the music world have flooded in, with the likes of Chance the Rapper and Earl Sweatshirt clearly effected, having had a close working relationship with Miller.
I dont know what to say Mac Miller took me on my second tour ever. But beyond helping me launch my career he was one of the sweetest guys I ever knew. Great man. I loved him for real. Im completely broken. God bless him.
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) September 7, 2018
Its so crazy cause earl literally hit me up this morning him and vince were real friebds I met at a pivotal time in my life through mac. This shit hurts so bad. If you love someone male sure u tell em
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) September 7, 2018
In August, Miller was charged with driving under the influence, after being involved in a car crash in May, with Miller reportedly crashing into and knocking over a power pole in the San Fernando Valley area. The rapper allegedly fled the scene with two passengers, before being arrested at his home later on.
Weeks earlier, Miller had also broken up with his partner, fellow artist Ariana Grande. After the split, Grande called Miller her “best friend”, adding that she “respects and adores him endlessly” and that she was “so proud of him.”
A few days later, Grande released a further statement regarding her relationship with Miller: “I have cared for him and tried to support his sobriety & prayed for his balance for years (and always will of course)…I will continue to pray from the bottom of my heart that he figures it all out.” Today, comments have been disabled on Ariana Grande’s Instagram account, following an influx of comments in response to the news of Miller’s death.
Miller’s last live performance came at an intimate concert at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, with a video of the performance already online.
