Chance the Rapper, J. Cole & other celebrities react to Mac Miller’s tragic death with heartfelt messages

The popular rapper was set to embark on a tour for his new album, Swimming

26-year-old rapper Mac Miller died from an apparent drug overdose on Friday, Sept. 7 at his Los Angeles home.

Sep 8, 2018
Mac Miller thegrio.com
(Photo: Rich Fury/Getty Images)

Music lovers were shocked to hear about the sudden death of rapper Mac Miller. The 26-year-old died from an apparent drug overdose on Friday, Sept. 7 at his Los Angeles home, according to TMZ.

The Pittsburgh-bred performer released his fifth studio album, Swimming in August, which debuted to mostly favorable reviews. Rolling Stone called the 13-track LP the “most impactful album of his career.”

In a statement, the family said the following: “Malcolm McCormick, known and adored by fans as Mac Miller, has tragically passed away at the age of 26. He was a bright light in this world for his family, friends and fans. Thank you for your prayers.”

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On Thursday, Vulture published a profile on the rapper that detailed his ongoing struggles with fame and substance abuse.

“There’s pressure [being famous],” he said. “A lot of times in my life I’ve put this pressure to hold myself to the standard of whatever I thought I was supposed to be, or how I was supposed to be perceived. And that creates pressure.”

He continued, “I feel like the public perception of me varies on who you ask. But there’s a bit of a freedom in knowing that people are going to think all types of shit, no matter what. It actually makes me less stressed about how my actions are perceived. It’s out of my control. I mean, to a degree … I could control it. I could live this squeaky clean life and everything. I could try to control the media. But I’ve been finding freedom in just living and letting people say whatever the f–k they want.”

Back in May, Miller was charged with a DUI after crashing into a utility pole. “What you don’t understand is that I lived a certain life for 10 years and faced almost no real consequence at all,” he told Zane Lowe of Beats 1. “I had no version of the story that didn’t end up with me being fine. Yeah, I made a stupid mistake. I’m a human being. Like, drove home drunk. But it was the best thing that could have happened… I needed that.”

 

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Following the young star’s tragic death, there’s been an outpouring of support on social media from fans and peers alike.

Rapper Post Malone tweeted, “You were such an incredible person. You changed so many lives. Had so much love in your heart. You inspired me throughout high school, and I wouldn’t be where I was today without you. Never a more kind and sincere and beautiful person. I f–king love you, mac.”

 “I don’t know what to say Mac Miller took me on my second tour ever,” wrote Chance The Rapper. “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.”

J. Cole said, “This is a message for anybody in this game that’s going through something. If you don’t feel right, if you feel you have a substance problem, if you need a ear to vent to. If you uncomfortable talking to people around you. Please reach out to me.”

Scheduled to kick off a tour in the fall, the last tweet Miller wrote was about the anticipation of hitting the road, “The show is going to be special every night. I wish it started tomorrow. It starts October 27th.”

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