Respected Rapper Mac Miller has been found dead at his home in Los Angeles. He was 26. According to TMZ, Miller was found around 12 pm on Friday after authorities were alerted by a male friend who placed a 911 call from Miller’s home.
A cause of death has not been disclosed, but Miller was public about his battles with substance abuse. In 2013, he told Vice’s Meaghan Garvey that he had been addicted to “lean” or codeine infused cough syrup but gave it up.
“Definitely. I was just getting super fat, and I didn’t wanna be on national TV and fat, so I stopped sippin’ lean. It ended up being better for me than just that. But that was actually the reason. “Fuck, I’m gonna be on national TV, I’m a mess, I better put this cup away.” And everyone was like, “There’s no way he’s gonna be able to do it.” And I fuckin’ stopped,” Miller told Garvey.
“Drugs are dangerous, dude. But they’re awesome. Just dangerous. Drugs are not like a new thing. Especially with me, I’ve been doing drugs since I was fifteen,” he added.
As well, his 2014 mixtape “Faces” frequently addressed drug use and included tracks such as “Angel Dust.”
More recently, substance abuse appeared to have played a role in the end of his 2-year relationship with Ariana Grande, who he parted with in May after he was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and hit and run after allegedly crashing into and knocking down a power pole and fleeing the scene with two passengers. After they parted company, she tweeted candidly about his apparent substance abuse.