Where do we even begin? Mac Miller was a bright light in the music industry, and at 26, had accomplished more in his career than some do in a lifetime. The talented Pittsburg rapper tragically died on September 7 after reportedly overdosing, the world learned, and it left his fans and colleagues absolutely devastated. Rather than focus on his untimely death, let’s celebrate his life. See photos from his best performances, with Ariana Grande, and more in our gallery above.
Born Malcolm McCormick, Mac started his career at 14 and spent the next 11 years skyrocketing to fame. The self-described “best Jewish rapper” (sorry, Drake) was a self-taught musician who excelled in piano, guitar, drums, and bass. A jack of all trades! “Once I hit 15, I got real serious about it and it changed my life completely … I used to be into sports, play all the sports, go to all the high school parties. But once I found out hip-hop is almost like a job, that’s all I did,” he said in a 2011 interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Did you know that his original name was EZ Mac? Cute!
Mac has cited heavyweight artists like Big L, Lauryn Hill, the Beastie Boys, Outkast, A Tribe Called Quest, and Wiz Khalifa as his biggest influences, which is completely clear when you listen to his amazing music. Mac and Wiz were actually very close. He told HipHopDX in 2011 that, “Wiz has been a big brother to me with this music thing so far. Our relationship is beyond music. He really is just my homie, whether I will be making music or not.”
He famously dated Ariana Grande for two years, and they shared tons of sweet videos and photos on social media throughout their relationship. He was there to pick her up from the airport after her concert was horrifically bombed in Manchester, England. The couple sadly split in May of this year.
For more pictures of Mac throughout his life, look through our gallery above. Our thoughts go out to his friends, family, and colleagues during this difficult time. May he rest in peace.