Ariana Grande expressed her gratitude for Mac Miller, crediting her late ex-boyfriend with helping her launch her highly successful music career.
The singer and actress, 32, spoke about the late rapper’s impact on her debut album, 2013’s Yours Truly, revealing during a Friday, December 5, master class at Chapman University in Orange, California, that Miller encouraged her to “make R&B-influenced pop music” and “do the brave thing.”
She added, “I’m very thankful for that.”
The duo notably collaborated on Grande’s 2013 breakout single, “The Way,” which became the first Billboard Hot 100 top-10 hit for both her and Miller.
“That’s also a part of why I was so eager to ask him to be a part of it,” she said of the track. “Not only because he was perfect for the song, but I also felt like I had him to thank for finding my sound.”
Grande and Miller later teamed up again on their respective 2016 songs “Into You” and “My Favorite Part.” That same year, the couple went public with their romance in September. News of their split broke in May 2018.
Just four months after their breakup made headlines, Miller died in September 2018 of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol. He was 26.
The following year, Grande spoke candidly about the grief she faced after Miller’s death.
“It’s pretty all-consuming,” she told Vogue in 2019. “By no means was what we had perfect, but, like, f–k. He was the best person ever, and he didn’t deserve the demons he had. I was the glue for such a long time, and I found myself becoming … less and less sticky. The pieces just started to float away.”
In 2020, Grande described Miller as “the kind of person who woke up and rolled into the studio,” emphasizing his dedication to his craft.
“Nothing was more important,” she recalled in an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “Talk about losing track of time and forgetting to eat, [having to] remind yourself to take care of yourself and be a person. He was a person who gave literally every single second of his thought and time and life to his music.”
In 2023, Grande marked the 10th anniversary of “The Way” by releasing a remastered version of the song that featured an orchestral string section on Miller’s verse.
When a fan shared a clip of the music video via Instagram, Grande paid tribute to Miller by responding, “I love you,” and reposting the message via her Instagram Story.
This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 8, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.