Rapper Mac Miller Dies at 26

The artist, who previously dated Ariana Grande, had been open about his history with substance abuse.

Mac Miller, the rapper and musician born Malcolm James McCormick, was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Friday. He was 26.

TMZ reported that Miller died of an apparent overdose. Police confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter they were called to the 11600 block of Valley Crest in Studio City on the report of a medical emergency. They found a deceased male when they arrived.

Chance the Rapper, Khalid and Shawn Mendes were some of the musicians who swiftly paid tribute on Twitter. Warner Bros. Music, which signed Miller's label, said in a statement, in part, "All of us at Warner Bros. Records are deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic news of Mac Miller's untimely passing. Mac was a hugely gifted and inspiring artist, with a pioneering spirit and sense of humor that touched everyone he met." (Read the full statement here.)

The Pittsburgh native had been open about his history of substance use and was recently involved in a car wreck.

The Los Angeles Attorney's Office had filed charges against Miller for a driving under the influence on Aug. 21, stemming from an incident in May. He was originally booked for a hit-and-run charge when he was arrested on May 17, after police discovered his abandoned Mercedes G-Wagen in the San Fernando Valley area.

He was reportedly facing up to six months in jail if convicted.

“I get fucked up, let’s keep it real,” Miller said in a 2016 documentary, Stopped Making Excuses. “I get super fucked up, still, all the time. That will never stop. But I’m in control of my life. I’m not fucked up right now. I’m chillin.”

He also added in the personal, 12-minute doc: "I’d rather be the corny white rapper than the drugged-out mess that can’t even get out of his house. Overdosing is just not cool. There's no legendary romance. You don’t go down in history because you overdosed. You just die."

In a Thursday profile from Vulture, Miller opened up about his music, also touching on fame and his personal life. "I don’t want to be depressed. I want to be able to have good days and bad days," he said. "I can’t imagine not waking up sometimes and being like, 'I don’t feel like doing shit.' And then having days where you wake up and you feel on top of the world."

Miller broke up with Ariana Grande in May after two years of dating. About Grande, who is now engaged to Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson, Miller had said that people were reaching out to him to check that he was OK after the news broke.

"It's strange. Like, the whole thing is a little strange but it's not negative," Miller told Beats 1 host Zane Lowe in July. "It's just a part of something that's going to continue to help make me who I am. You know, it's all positive energy. I am happy for her and moving forward with her life just as I'm sure she is with me."

Miller released his fifth album, Swimming, on Aug. 3. A tour was planned for the end of October.

"The show is going to be special every night. I wish it started tomorrow," Miller tweeted on Thursday.

He performed on Late Show With Stephen Colbert, debuting "Ladders" off his new album, on Aug. 14. In one of his final performances, he sang before a small crowd on Monday at Hotel Cafe in Hollywood.

Miller's debut album, Blue Slide Park, quickly reached the top of the Billboard charts when it was released in 2011. His second album, Watching Movies With the Sound Off, came out in 2013.

Miller taught himself to play the guitar, bass, piano and drums. At 15, he turned his focus to hip-hop and formed the group The Ill Spoken with his then-partner, Beedie.

The mixtapes he released with The Ill Spoken, under the rapper name EZ Mac in 2008, got him noticed by Rostrum Records, who signed him for his first album. In addition to his studio albums, Miller has released live album Live From Space, more than 10 mixtapes, over a dozen EP singles and an album for iTunes.

Miller has collaborated with artists including Maroon 5 and Pharrell Williams and toured with Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz. He also had a reality show in 2013, Mac Miller and the Most Dope Family, which ran for two seasons on MTV2.