Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller has died at 26. TMZ reports that he passed away from an apparent drug overdose, while his friends and collaborators Wiz Khalifa and E. Dan of ID Labs confirmed the news of his death on Twitter.
His family later issued the following statement:
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.
There are no further details available as to the cause of his death.
Thank you for your prayers. Please respect the family’s privacy at this time.
For several hours after his death, Mac Miller’s Instagram story remained up. It played the final moments of “So It Goes,” the last song on his latest album Swimming:
And alsoMac Miller first rose to fame in 2010 with the release of his K.I.D.S. mixtape. Along with Wiz Khalifa, he put indie label Rostrum Records on the map. Over the course of eight years he released multiple successful albums including Blue Slide Park, Watching Movies With the Sound Off, GO:OD AM, and The Divine Feminine. His latest album Swimming dropped just last month. He released a series of hit singles in his lifetime, with songs like “Donald Trump,” “Knock Knock,” “The Way” with Ariana Grande, “Dang!” featuring Anderson .Paak, “Weekend” featuring Miguel, and “Loud.” He also had popular mixtapes to his name, including Best Day Ever, I Love Life, Thank You, and Faces.
Miller was open about his struggles with substance abuse, and frequently addressed the topic in his music. He was considered one of the major artists of the blog rap era, and evolved his sound over time from the party-focused pop-rap of his early years to more serious, experimental music later on. He was also an accomplished producer under the moniker Larry Fisherman, and has worked with artists like Thundercat, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Earl Sweatshirt, Ab-Soul, Ty Dolla $ign, Lil B, Chief Keef, Tyler, The Creator, and more.
Many artists immediately paid tribute to the late rapper on social media.
